


Silhouettes

by nauticalparamour



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, F/M, Spies, Time Travel, sleeper cell - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-01-01 08:30:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18332393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nauticalparamour/pseuds/nauticalparamour
Summary: Hermione goes back in time, determined to make a different outcome for the war by taking down Voldemort for good the first time. Only, it's determined that she will need someone to go with her, to help her navigate the pureblood social circle she will find herself in. Enter Theo Nott. Can the pair work together to achieve their aims?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I am back with another Theomione because I just can't help myself! I am really excited about this story, though. It's kind of an alternative take on my story Sleeper, only this time Hermione's got Theo's help from the beginning. I really hope that you will enjoy what I've got in store for you...expect about 35 chapters, updates 1-2x a week. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! Huge thanks to accio-echo for beta reading this chapter!
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter one and be on the lookout for chapter two soon!

Hermione looked around the shell of the Room of Requirement, sighing heavily while she did the quick maths in her head. It was something that she'd known for a while now, but was only just being forced to face the reality of. And worse - knowing that she would now have to share that fate with her cohabitants.

She had been  _so hopeful_  that the Battle of Hogwarts was going to mean the end of the war, the end of the fighting. She, Harry and Ron had gotten out of nearly every scrape they'd ever encountered. She'd been so positive that they were going to prevail. They had to prevail...after all, they were the good guys.

But they hadn't prevailed. Harry had gone running off to the Forbidden Forest to face Voldemort himself, slightly manically pushing her and Ron away, explaining that this was something he  _had_  to do. That he was a horcrux himself. But then Voldemort had shown back up with Harry's body in tow and...he didn't get up. With the news that Harry Potter was dead, the resistance seemed to crumble.

Neville Longbottom had been killed in front of everyone. Ginny Weasley had been killed in front of everyone. And then everything was thrown into shambles. Ron was grabbing her hand then, leading her up  _up_ _ **up**_  the stairs until they were at the charred remains of the Room of Requirement. While it could no longer differentiate itself into a fantastic array of forms based on what the entrant wanted most, at its most basic purpose the Room still did it's best to keep students safe.

They hadn't been alone in their idea long, though. The room already had occupants - a rag tag group of three Slytherins, the Headmistress, Professor Sprout and four young Ravenclaws. Hermione had raged at Ron, wanting to leave the room and go back out to the fight. They hadn't even managed to kill Nagini, Voldemort's massive snake, and it felt too much like failure, too cowardly, to sit back and hide while the fighting raged on.

It was Draco Malfoy's annoyed drawl that snapped her out of it. "Salazar's staff, Granger, do you have a death wish?" he snarled. "We don't exactly fancy alerting anyone to our location, so kindly get out or shut up."

Hermione  _had_  shut up then, finding her own little corner of the vast room to retreat to, shoving off even Ron's kind words. She'd taken the time to herself to muffle bitter sobs, tears wetting her cheeks until she couldn't cry any longer. Then, she'd just stared at the wall and waited for sleep that just never came.

By the time that the rest of the Room's occupants woke up the next day, Hermione could sit still no longer. She knew that she was going to act.. Walking around the room, she gathered all scraps of food that they had managed to bring with them. The Ravenclaws had the most - a house elf had found them jerky when they had been told to wait in their common room. Malfoy had a crushed pumpkin pasty. Hermione had a few tins of sardines that they hadn't eaten on their time on the run, but the severity of the situation they found themselves in hit her full force.

Crouching down next to Headmistress McGonagall, she was unused to seeing the woman look so disheveled and hopeless. "Professor, we need to talk," she said, biting her lower lip, wondering how best to broach the this particular subject.

"Please, I think you can call me Minerva now that we find ourselves in this situation," she said, patting Hermione kindly on the hand. "And I hope you don't mind if I call you Hermione."

"Of course not," Hermione said, shaking off the gesture, knowing that this little moment was one of banality. While a part of her would have loved to be on a first name basis with the witch that she'd looked up to for so long, Hermione knew that she had more important things to deal with in that moment. "I've done an inventory of the food that we have here. Even if we give ourselves starving rations, we won't have enough food for two days. Aguamenti will help with the thirst, but we are sure to starve to death if we stay here."

Merlin, saying those words out loud made everything seem so much bleaker. Hermione felt her stomach tighten in a knot, knowing that she had already been running on too little food all those months on the run with Harry and Ron. She honestly wasn't sure how much longer her body could hold out.

"That's if  _they_  don't manage to break in here before then," Malfoy said with a sneer, having overheard her hushed tones with the older woman. "The Room isn't indestructible, as Umbridge proved in fifth year. They are going to find us. We are as good as dead if we stay here."

Hermione stood up, spinning on her heel, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "Well, if I'm doomed to death, thank Godric it will be with  _your_  pessimistic company, Malfoy," she countered, hating the wavering quality of her voice.

"What the hell are you three doing here anyway?" Ron asked, eyeing the three Slytherins suspiciously. "Just waiting to let your daddies in here?"

Theo Nott and Blaise Zabini sat side by side, looking utterly opposite. Zabini was eternally cool with his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning back on his elbows surveying the room with disinterest. "Don't be silly Weasley," he drawled. "My daddy is dead."

Theo Nott couldn't suppress a snort of amusement from where he was sitting, with his arms wrapped around his legs tightly, looking as though he were trying to make himself into the smallest ball possible. That was how Hermione had always known the lanky Slytherin, perfectly content to sit on the edges, unnoticed, but always watching. "I'll just be happy if I never see my father again," he said quietly, before resting his chin on his knees, looking sad.

Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't know if you've realized it, Weasley, but we don't want  _Him_  to win, either," he said. "Otherwise we wouldn't have fought against him. Should have realized that Saint Potter would go and lose though," he added bitterly.

Someone disparaging their recently killed friend got under Ron's skin, and before anyone could stop him, he was launching himself at Malfoy. He knocked the Slytherin down to the ground and in an instant they were tussling about in a tangle of limbs, each trying to land a punch on the other. Hermione couldn't even find it in herself to try to separate them, privately thinking that it was time that Malfoy got his comeuppance.

Minerva, though, had no such tolerance and waved her wand at the boys, separating them magically. Ron had the beginnings of a black eye blooming above his cheek bone, but Malfoy's nose was bleeding profusely. "Even though things are bleak, I will not have you two behaving like buffoons," she said sternly, her brogue thicker than ever. "I need to think and I won't be able to do that with all your racket."

Hermione was glad that someone else was going to do the thinking, because she felt like her head was full of sand. Having always been counted on to think of a way out of their troubles, Hermione was simply out of ideas. Crawling over to Ron, she cradled his cheek while she looked over his bruise, babying him the way that he needed to be, the way that his mother couldn't. Her eyes traced the charred ground until she found Malfoy, his own friends trying to help him stop his nose bleed, tearing off the cuff of their school shirts to sop up the blood.

This was it, of course, unless Minerva could think of some brilliant plan to get them out of this mess. She would either be dead in a matter of days due to hunger or dead once the Death Eaters finally broke into the room, killing them in some sort of horrible way. She vaguely wondered if they would want to execute her in public to prove a point…. _probably_.

She was surprised by how apathetic she felt about it all. Hermione wasn't upset or sad. Instead, she felt the blinding euphoria of relief, knowing that it was finally  _over_ , once and for all. Did that make her a bad person, she wondered? She had failed, they had failed, and she couldn't even find it in herself to feel bad about it. How many people had died needlessly? And soon, her and Ron's names would be added to that already lengthy list..

Laying back on the hard ground, she wrapped Ron up in her arms, letting him cry into her chest while her fingers slipped through his too long hair. "It will all be over soon," she whispered to him over and over again, until her eyes were drooping shut and she let herself sleep for the first time in days.

br

When Hermione woke up, the rest of the Room's occupants had formed a wonky looking circle in the middle of the room, everyone trying to keep to their own friends, but wanting to be a part of something communal. The pile of food in the middle seemed to be keeping their attention well enough. Joining the circle, Hermione leaned her head against Ron's shoulder.

A few beats of silence passed before Minerva was clearing her throat. "I've thought of something," she said, her voice commanding the attention of the room. "It's a bit of a suicide mission, but I think that we have to do  _something_  instead of just waiting here to die."

Hermione gave out a gasp of surprise when she saw the older woman pull a small golden chain, revealing a familiar time turner. "My time turner," she said, feeling her heart flutter with hope for the first time.

Ron must have put two and two together as well. "Brilliant! We can go back to before the battle and make sure that we are better prepared," he said, eyes wide with the possibility. "We can warn Harry not to go into the forest!"

"I'm afraid I was thinking a bit grander than that, Mr. Weasley," she said, watching as the time turner swung back and forth on it's chain. "A little bit further into the past."

Hermione squeezed Ron's hand tightly in her's. "What if we could go far enough back to make sure that Harry never even  _was_  an orphan. If he's parents hadn't been killed by Vol-You-Know-Who," she said, catching herself before she could utter the taboo.

"Exactly, Hermione," Minerva said with a nod. "I was thinking that we can send two of us back to infiltrate You-Know-Who's organization when he was rising to power the first time. He could be taken down from the inside, and hopefully we would be able to save the whole wizarding world a lot of suffering."

"I'll do it," Hermione found herself volunteering before her brain had really had a chance to process it.

"You?" Ron asked, sounding aghast. "But, Hermione, you're a muggleborn."

"Of course it will be me," Hermione said waving her arm at the rest of the occupants. "Minerva and Professor Sprout can't go - they might run into themselves. I won't have been born yet, so I'll be in the clear. And the Ravenclaws are too little. Of course it has to be me. And I am pretty sure that I can trick them into thinking I'm a pureblood," she added, haughtily.

"I'll go with you," Ron said immediately, giving her hand a squeeze. "I'm a pureblood and I'm sure I can help you navigate the traditions and stuff."

Malfoy was unable to stop his laughter from drawing attention to himself. "Please, Weasley. As if you would ever be able to help her navigate the complexities of the pureblood sphere. You barely even eat with utensils."

"I don't need any help," Hermione insisted. "I'm perfectly capable on my own."

"Hermione, I think that you would be best off taking someone with you," Minerva said softly, throwing her voice into the ring. "It will be a lonely existence if you don't have someone you can lean on; someone who knows where you've come from. And I think you will find 1973 a bit tricker to navigate than you anticipate."

"I'll go with her," Malfoy said proudly. "I've got an impeccable pedigree and my mother has been coaching me on polite society since I've been able to walk. They won't think twice about me."

"Fat chance, Malfoy. You look  _exactly_  like your father. Don't you think people will have enough questions about who the fuck you are that you've just popped out of the sky. You won't be able to prove your pedigree when you haven't even been born yet. And I doubt the Malfoys are keen on acknowledging bastards," Ron argued hotly at the idea of Draco Malfoy going into the past with Hermione.

Malfoy colored when he realized that it was true. "Well, ditto for you, Weasley. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that  _you_  are a Weasley with your looks. It's too likely to cause questions if you just show up out of nowhere," Malfoy countered, relishing that Ron wouldn't be able to go back with her either. "Blaise, what about you? Your family has been in Italy."

The boy looked down in shame. "I couldn't keep up the ruse," he said with a frown. "Even though I didn't want the Dark Lord to win doesn't mean that I could tolerate having a mudblood as my only true friend for two decades."

The comment smarted, but really, Hermione didn't expect more from the Slytherin. "Thank you for your honesty, I suppose, Zabini," she said, thinking it was really better that he told her now, rather than waiting until he was safe. It must have been hard to go against his natural preservation instincts to survive by leaving the room and the future behind, to a much rosier past.

Zabini's pronouncement sent Malfoy and Ron into a tizzy, arguing over who would be better equipped to help her, while Hermione sat there feeling a bit overwhelmed, wondering if she wouldn't be better off just going on her own. Ron was...a good friend, but she just didn't know if he could handle many more years of fighting. The horcrux hunt had already destroyed him once, and she knew it was going to be much worse in the past. She wasn't entirely sure she and Malfoy would be able to survive without killing one another.

"I'll do it," a quiet voice said, confidently, breaking through the arguments of the other two boys. Nott looked up from his spot on the floor, not breaking eye contact with Hermione.

"You?" Ron asked, sounding perplexed.

"Well, yeah, it has to be me, doesn't it?" Nott asked with a snort of derision. "It's got to be one of the four of us boys, but Zabini won't go, and you and Draco are disqualified for the multitude of reasons that you've both listed," he explained, standing up and wiping the ash from his pants. "And, honestly out of the three of us Slytherins, I'm the one with the most reason to hate the Dark Lord."

That was news to Hermione, and she wondered what Nott had experienced that warranted such a statement. She realized how little she really knew about the Slytherin. He was smart - ending up in most of her advanced classes - but she never remembered him participating much in class. He  _had_ been one of the students who had been able to see the thestrals, like Harry. Maybe he'd witnessed a horrible death. "Okay," she found herself agreeing, without thinking about it any further.

"Are you out of your mind, Hermione?" Ron asked. "I can't believe you are really thinking about going with him!"

"No, Theo's right," Malfoy said with disappointment in his voice. "He's got the name and the knowledge to work effectively in that time."

"But, won't everyone recognize him same as me or you?" Ron asked, wanting nothing more than to disqualify Nott for one reason or another, unwilling to be parted from her.

"The Nott family is spread all over the continent," Draco said with a shrug of his shoulders. "And has been for a long time, too."

"My father's great nephew - who I was named for - lives in Croatia as an attache to the Ministry. I can assume his identity and he'll be too wrapped up in their battle with the vampires for...six years or so to realize that he has an imposter back in England," Nott explained, matter-of-factly. "And I don't take after my father in looks, I take after my mother. No one will put two and two together. You see….it  _has_  to be me."

"He's right," Hermione said, looking at Ron, wanting to make it clear that there would be no more arguing over it. She wasn't sure how she and Nott would fare together, but she was committed to doing whatever it would take to make the future a better place for everyone. If Nott was promising her an in to work more effectively, she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. But, based on his insistence that he wanted to end the Dark Lord's rise to power, she hoped that she would have a deft ally in her mission as well. She wondered if Nott would ever be able to trust her enough to explain his reasoning to her. After all, they would only have each other once they went back.

"So, you've come to consensus?" Minerva asked, staring between the four boys who had been jockeying to go back in time with her. Seeing everyone - even Ron - reluctantly nod, but most importantly, Hermione's agreement, Minerva smiled with an almost cheshire cat-like grin. "Alright then. Let's talk specifics."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! Thank you again so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am so excited to start this journey with you. If you haven't read Sleeper, this story was inspired by the tv show the Americans. I was so captivated by the story telling, I really hope that I am able to capture some of that same drama and suspense, while still keeping it fresh and new. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. HUGE thank you to accio-echo, who did such an amazing job beta reading this chapter!
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter two and be on the lookout for chapter three soon!

Nott rose from his spot on the floor and closed the gap between himself and Hermione. Hermione had never cataloged away much about her classmate, but his most noticeable attribute was his height. He looked uneasy under McGonagall's significant gaze, fingers fidgeting with the fraying edge of his school shirt.

"I think that it makes most sense for the two of you to be a young married couple returning to England to settle down and start a family," the Headmistress said with confidence. "Mister Nott, I think we can agree that Croatia would not be an ideal location for a pretty young bride."

"Yes, his - my posting in Croatia was certainly a bachelor's job," he said, catching himself and throwing himself into his character, the life that he was about to don. Hermione was impressed that he hadn't been phased in the slightest at the thought of being married to her.

"Once I got married, I wanted to give my wife all the comforts of London."

"And Hermione, perhaps your family lives abroad still," McGonagall suggested, raising an eyebrow, hoping the younger witch would fill in the blanks.

"Of course," Hermione nodded. "Perhaps my father held a diplomatic position in Hong Kong? Communication with their ministry will be cut off sometime in 1974, so it would be difficult to verify if I am who I say I am."

Minerva's mouth was held in a tight line while she thought over the words. Finally, her eyes settled on Hermione's face. "Are you sure you are going to be able to do this? This will not merely be a cover. You will need to be a real couple - a real marriage - in order for you to slide under detection."

Hermione was a bit annoyed at the question, because she knew that she was willing to do  _whatever_ it took to take down Voldemort once and for all. To give her friends the life that they should have had all along, one where they weren't constantly fighting for their lives. Her eyes settled on Nott - no, Theo, she might as well call him that now - and the question made some sense. They were going to have to rely on one another - to trust one another implicitly - to get this to work. She couldn't be doubting his loyalties half way through. "I will do  _anything_  I can to fix this," she insisted, reaching over to grab Theo's hand in hers.

To his credit, Theo didn't even flinch, but she could see the slight panic reflected in his eyes when the reality of it all set in. "I am just as committed. I am sure between the two of us, we'll be able to make a real difference," he said, his voice clear and steady.

The Gryffindor could feel herself begin to relax, until the Headmistress spoke again. "When you say you are willing to do anything at all...you might have to kill or blackmail or seduce or fight to get what needs to be gotten," she said. "I'm afraid things have grown too serious to stick to Albus's preferred methods of nonviolence. You will need to avoid falling under suspicion of the Order of the Phoenix as well."

Hermione swallowed, but nodded. "Yes, I understand. I'm willing to sacrifice myself for the greater good," she told the woman, the words tasting a bit bitter in her mouth.

"But, Hermione," Ron whispered from behind her. "Harry wouldn't have wanted it to come to this."

Turning to face her forlorn friend, she found his eyes trained on the spot where she and Theo were still joined. Dropping the Slytherin's hand, she wrapped Ron in a tight hug. "I know, but...Harry's not here anymore and neither is Dumbledore," she explained, pulling back to wipe at the tears that rolled down his eyes. "I need to do what I think is best now...to give Harry a better life. He didn't deserve the hand he was dealt."

Ron sniffled. "I always thought it was going to be you and me together. That we would get married after all this was over, have a couple of kids," he said, his voice low and full of sadness. "But I guess that's not going to happen now is it? Merlin, I love you, Hermione."

"Oh Ron," she said with a frown, knowing that she did not return his feelings Even though it would have brought him comfort, she couldn't find it in herself to repeat the sentiment back. "Once I go back, you won't even remember me. We might not even be friends to begin with and you'll probably be thinking that I'm the annoying swot that you always did, because there will be no troll to save me from. Don't worry about me. In the blink of an eye, this timeline that we are in will be completely blown away."

"If you are sure this is right," he said weakly. "Then I support you. But, Nott, you better not let anything happen to her."

She turned to face her future husband guiltily. She could tell that he was doing everything he could not to snap back at Ron. "Of course, Weasley," he agreed, finally. "She'll be my only friend."

Minerva brought everyone's attention back to her. "Well, we don't exactly have unlimited time. We should get this wedding ceremony started now, before they figure out where we are hiding," she said, turning to look back at the entrance to the Room of Requirement, as if she expected it to burst open at any moment.

"Wedding ceremony?" Hermione asked. "We're going to do it now?" she practically squeaked. "Don't we need, like, officials? Or a priest or something?"

"There are plenty of old ceremonies that are magically binding from before the time of the ministry. Many purebloods still use them today," Theo explained to her quietly. "It's typically done before a tree."

The Room began to groan and shake, an unnatural breeze sweeping through the occupants. Hermione was certain that the Death Eaters had gotten to them, but to her surprise a tiny tree began to sprout up from the ground, providing them exactly what they would need. "Well, I guess that solves  _that_ ," she quipped.

"Let's begin," Minerva said with a quirk of her lips, perhaps feeling that their plan was being smiled on by some god or perhaps magic itself. She stood in front of the tree, pulling her wand out, as she waited to begin the ceremony.

 _If it could even be called that_. When Hermione pictured her wedding day, it was not in the burned out shell of the Room of Requirement, getting married to a boy who she didn't even know. Further, it wouldn't have been some ritual that she wasn't even certain of. But, it seemed as if all the other adults knew what was going on, and before she knew it, Ron was offering her his arm and walking forward towards Minerva.

"Who comes this way?" Minerva asked.

"It is I, Ronald, of House Weasley, come to offer this maiden in the sacred ritual of marriage," he said, his voice sounding confident. He didn't stumble over the words once, making Hermione wonder just how it was that she'd never known of this type of marriage ceremony before.

"Which maiden has come this way?" Minerva asked, this time giving Hermione a significant look.

When she remained silent, Ron elbowed her in the side, making her gasp out in pain. "It is I, Hermione, of House Granger?" Hermione said, uncertainty in her voice, hoping that she wasn't going to mess anything up.

It seemed to be the right thing, because then Minerva's attention was on Theo. "Who has come to claim this maiden?" she asked.

"I, Theodore, of the Ancient and Noble House of Nott, wish to claim this maiden. In return, I will provide her with food and comfort, home and sanctuary, and many sons to continue our line," he said, his cheeks flaming red in embarrassment.

"Does your Ancient and Noble house support the match?" Minerva asked.

Draco cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I, Draco, of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy, vouch for this match. As loyal friends to House Nott, we know that this match is the best option for Theodore and the Nott family."

Hermione was barely able to contain a snort of derision at the words, knowing that Theo's father would probably rather kill his own son than allow him to marry a muggleborn. Still, she wondered if Draco was certain of his words. It wasn't as if Theo had any other options besides her. It was odd to think that Ronald Weasley and Draco Malfoy were witnesses to her marriage, but knew that it only spoke to the dire circumstances that they found themselves in.

"Very well, Hermione and Theodore, please take each other's hands and face one another," Minerva said, waiting for them to follow her instructions.

Theo offered his hand first and Hermione readily took it once again. Minerva began waving her wand in an intricate pattern over where they were joined. Hermione was amazed to feel the magic between them beginning to form and gasped in surprise, ready to drop his hand, only to have him hold on more tightly. Before long, the magic had stopped and it seemed as if they were done.

Minerva looked at the pair expectantly. "It's traditional to seal the ceremony with a kiss," she suggested, not dropping her eyes from them.

Theo was surging forward then, pressing his lips to hers in an awkward, quick peck.

"Oi, you might want to work on that before you have to convince anyone you are madly in love," Malfoy quipped with a laugh. It was clear that they were going to need get more comfortable. "Hopefully your consummation goes a bit smoother."

"Consummation?" Hermione squeaked, surprised at the suggestion.

"Well, yeah, these sort of things have to be sealed, you know?" Ron said, pressing a hand to her shoulder, giving her a sad look when he realized that she had been unaware. "But before that - I think they should have an unbreakable vow. They need to be able to trust each other, and well, what would there be not to trust with an unbreakable vow?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, willing to do anything do anything in that moment to put off the inevitable. "We're already married," she said. Saying the words out loud made everything seem more real all of a sudden. "Might as well."

Clasping one another's forearms, Minerva initiated the vow, wrapping their arms in a golden light. "Do you vow to work together, to do whatever it takes to take down He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" The pair agreed solemnly. "Do you vow to keep one another in confidence when necessary? Do you vow not to betray one another? Do you vow to trust one another?" Hermione stared into Theo's eyes swallowing once. It was a big ask to trust the Slytherin who she barely knew implicitly, but he was her husband now and there was no turning back. Agreeing to the vow together, they watched as the magic swirled around their arms, before settling into their skin.

And then it was done.

"I think you're gonna need this," Malfoy said with a malicious grin, before pressing a flask into her hands, clearly enjoying the way that the blood had drained from her face.

"You had this all along and didn't tell me when I was inventorying our food?" she asked, opening the cap and taking a sniff at the strong firewhiskey inside. It was rather full. She took a pull, even though she hated the taste, before passing it to Theo, who seemed to be looking anywhere but at her.

"As if I was going to share it with the rest of you," Malofy answered with a roll of his eyes. "But now...it looks like you'll need it more than me." He turned to the rest of the occupants of the room, and ushered them away from the newlyweds. "Let's give these two some privacy?"

Ron gave her one last sad look before he too was led away by the blond Slytherin, leaving her and Theo alone with one another for the first time that night. Theo pressed his hand to her lower back and pushed her further into the back of the cavernous room, trying to put as much space between them and the Room's other occupants. "I know this probably isn't how you'd pictured your wedding night to go," he said, cautiously. "But I'm afraid that there is no avoiding it."

Hermione, taking it as a challenge, took the flask back from him and took another drag. "I said I am willing to do whatever it takes, Nott," she argued, frowning. "If it's going to be our wedding night...we might as well do it right."

"Theo," he insisted, pulling the flask from her hands and taking another drink himself. Then he settled himself against the floor, patting the spot beside him.

She sighed before settling in the spot next to him. It was awkward, knowing what they were about to do. Neither one of them seemed to want to make the first move, but also neither of them knew what to say. Finally, Theo was surging forward, trying to kiss her. He didn't quite find her lips exactly, his lips slanted against hers, but it was easy for her eyes to slip closed then and just go with the feelings. He placed his hands on her waist, clearly unsure of what he was meant to do.

Hermione tentatively wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him to her, trying not to think. HIs hands were under her shirt then, unsure of what he should really be doing. She wondered if he had done this before, but she  _couldn't_  focus on that right now. Instead, she just let herself feel. The feel of his hand on her bra, the feel of him pressing forward inside of her. The feel of his hot breath against her neck where he pressed his face. The smell of the burning wood from the Room. The bite of her teeth into her lip, trying to keep her quiet. The rapid beating of her heart against her ribcage.

Before long, it was over.

She was well and truly married to Theo Nott and there was no taking back what they were going to do. They had nowhere to go but forward.

A few waves of a wand and they were clean and pulling their clothes on again. They spent a few moments in silence, neither wanting to break the quiet that spanned between them.

Finally, it was Theo that spoke. "Are we really going to do this? Go into the past and...and take down the Dark Lord?" he asked, his hands bunching and flattening against his knees.

"Yes," Hermione said, without hesitation. "It's not going to be easy. He's created horcruxes that we will need to find and destroy before we can kill them. He'll start distributing them amongst his best and brightest. Malfoy, Bellatrix..." she trailed off, seeing the surprised look on his face. "But I know that we can do it."

Theo made a little noise, half laugh, half disbelief. "You and your Gryffindor optimism. But I am sure that with some Slytherin cunning we can handle it," he said, sounding as optimistic as he accused her of being. "I suppose there isn't putting this off any longer. We should go say goodbye."

Mercifully, the Slytherins kept to themselves, talking with Theo quietly, while Hermione hugged Ron one last time. "Good luck Hermione," he said with a frown. "I know that you will do what you think is best."

It was hard to say goodbye to her oldest friend, the only living friend that she had left, but she knew there was no other option She had vowed to do it and she couldn't turn back now. She felt like she had aged ten years in one day, but she couldn't stop now, not with as far as she'd gone already.

She waited for Theo to finish up with Malfoy and Zabini. They were turning out their pockets, searching for any last galleon or sickle that they had tucked away, which Theo was grateful to receive. Hermione hadn't even thought about what they would do for money once they got into the past, especially if they were meant to be some young, glamorous couple. But, it seemed as if her partner had a handle on it. Maybe he wouldn't be completely useless after all.

Minerva was waiting for them with the time turner. Once Theo and Hermione both stood in front of them, she handed it over quickly. "I've been doing the calculations, and you will need to do at least sixty two turns. Once you get there, you can find me and I will help you," she said with a frown. "But I can give you a few details about my life that no one else knows because I will certainly be suspicious. The hardest part will be getting me away from the Order."

Hermione was happy to file away all the little tidbits that Minerva was willing to share, glad to know that they would at least have a little help once they got there. It was so completely odd to hear the facts of Minerva's life that she was willing to share with them, as they included some truly painful memories, ones which she undoubtedly wouldn't have shared with anyone else. Hopefully it would be enough to convince the shrewd witch in the past.

With that knowledge transferred, Hermione put the chain around her neck first, and then Theo's. Giving him one last look, one last chance to back out, and began spinning the time turner. The Room began to spin - an odd mish mash of changing colors - and the occupants of the Room faded out and were replaced by new ones, until finally, they stood alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am so excited to get going into the past now - into the thick of it. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. HUGE thank you to accio-echo for beta reading this chapter and being a tremendous help generally!
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter three and be on the lookout for chapter four soon!

By the time that the time turner had finally stopped it's spinning, Hermione and Theo were leaning against one another from the extreme strain of hurtling through decades. They stood pressed against one another for a few moments, catching their collective breath, and Hermione let herself enjoy the feel of his hand against the small of her back, supporting her. Now that Theo was all that she had, there was no time to question his loyalty. They needed to rely on one another and she intended to do just that. Not to say that their relationship would be completely smooth, Hermione was certain that they would quickly grow comfortable with one another.

Leaning back, she looked up into her husband's eyes. Theo looked a little shell shocked, like he'd only just realized what he'd done. Pulling out her wand, Hermione cast the tempus charm to confirm that they were where they really needed to be. "June 5th, 1973. We've made it," she whispered, breaking the stillness of the Room of Requirement. No longer a burned out husk, the Room appeared full to bursting with lost and forgotten things once again.

Theo's lips quirked up in a fond little smile. "Draco's birthday," he revealed.

Hermione blinked once, realizing that she'd never bothered to learn Malfoy's birthday. "Not quite yet. We've got a few years yet until he's unleashed on the world again," she teased, too thrilled that they'd managed to get far enough back to make a real difference, and apparently in one piece. "Right, let's make a list of what we need to do. First and foremost is get out of here. Then we need money, but you might have that covered?" she asked, looking at the small bag of coins he still had clutched in his hand. "And then somewhere to live. Finally, I need a new wand."

"What's wrong with that one?" Theo asked, looking perplexed as she seemed to have a perfectly good one in her hand.

"It's Bellatrix's wand," Hermione revealed to him then, thinking that it would be quite suspicious for her to turn up with the  _exact_  same wand as the other witch. "It will raise questions and well...it doesn't  _respond_  very well to me."

He nodded in understanding then, knowing that a witch or wizard's wand was extremely personal, almost an extension of themselves. "I've got some money, but even with the inflation rate, it wouldn't be enough to get us through a month," Theo explained, his eyes dropping down to the bag he held. "The guys reminded me of a couple of Quidditch scores. I can place some winning bets, but we might want to place them in several locations so as not to raise suspicion."

"That's cheating," Hermione said with a frown, thinking that it didn't sound like a very fair way to do it.

"Didn't you say you were willing to do whatever it takes, Granger?" he asked with a laugh. "I figured this would be something that you would be willing to look past. After all, it's not worse than using polyjuice to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room."

"You know about that?" Hermione asked, feeling her cheeks go pink. "Well, I...I actually might know a football score or two, but the season doesn't start for a few months. I am pretty sure that Liverpool wins the FA Cup, so we could just always bet on them, but we would need to change some galleons to pounds."

"You're talking gibberish, Granger," Theo said, his eyes wide. "Anyway, I think we should definitely get out of Hogwarts as soon as possible. We can't do anything from here. Luckily everyone should be exams right now, so we can probably just slip out the front door."

"Actually, I know of a few secret passageways," Hermione said with another blush on her cheeks when she was forced to admit just how frequently she bent the rules. "I'll lead the way. And it's Nott now. You should get used to that." She didn't hesitate to grab his hand, knowing that they were going to have to get used to physical contact if they were meant to be happy, young newlyweds. Surely they were meant to be pawing at one another whenever they got the chance.

Their walk to the statue of the one-eyed witch was uneventful, and Theo managed to keep his face stoic when Hermione used her wand to open the secret passage. Instead, he followed blindly behind her as the passage slowly turned from stone to dirt, using his wand to illuminate the path. Once they reached the cellar of Honeydukes, Hermione stopped and told him where they were. "But I think we should be alright to apparate from right here. No need to get caught," she explained.

He was only too happy to follow her instruction, grabbing hold of of her hand more tightly, threading his fingers through hers, Theo apparated them both to a small side street off of Diagon Alley. "I know of a good realtor, but we will need to do a little fibbing," he said, before looking her over. He ran his hands through his toffee brown hair, realizing just how they looked. "Right, we will need to do a little transfiguration, too. You don't really look the part."

Hermione looked down at herself, seeing her dirty and ripped jumper and jeans, realizing that he was right. Her muggle clothes were enough of a sore thumb in her own time...nearly three decades before it would be even worse. He took it upon himself to fix it, though, and her outfit was quickly replaced with a pretty set of witch's robes, the same color as her jumper. Likewise, his own school uniform was updated to something a little bit more appropriate for the time. She was glad to realize that they seemed to work well with one another, even if they hadn't ever spoken much previously.

With their clothing handled, Theo led the way out of the small cobbled side street, until they were standing in front of a stately looking building that she'd never noticed before, advertising magical properties. Theo entered first, holding the door open for his wife, and spoke softly with the witch behind the front desk. Before Hermione knew it, she was seated with Theo in the realtor's office, looking through pages and pages of homes while Theo wove a tale of them moving back to England, but their funds being tied up in Croatia still. "Of course, you'll know that my family is good for the money, but they don't think it will clear the Croatian government for another week or two," he lied smoothly. "But I want my wife to have the best of the best. Can you help her with that?"

The realtor looked flustered and unsure, but found himself agreeing with Theo, knowing that the Notts were  _certainly_  a very reputable family to be dealing with. "Of course Mr. Nott," he stammered. "We will only show her the best."

Theo pressed a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Darling, you'll be fine picking our home while I go sort things out with Gringotts?" he asked, looking at her indulgently. "I want you to get  _exactly_ what you want. Don't worry about the price."

Hermione really wasn't sure about the idea of being left alone in the past so quickly, but she knew that they needed to get the ball rolling on the betting. She nodded, ready to look through all the offerings that had been preselected for her, but not before pulling him down for one additional lingering kiss. Theo looked a bit shocked when he pulled away, but straightened and left, instructing her to wait for him in the reception area when she was finished, in about an hour.

Once they were left alone, the realtor began blathering away about all the trendy areas that they could find a flat in, most notably Godric's Hollow. Hermione mostly ignored the man, instead choosing to flip through the book, her eyes watering from the exorbitant prices that they were going for. Still, Theo had insisted that she spare no expense, and she knew that their home would need to project a certain level of wealth.

Flipping the page, Hermione's heart nearly stopped when she saw the address. Her fingers traced over the moving pictures included in the listing. "I like this one," she said confidently. "I don't even need to see it. I'm sure that this is the  _one_ ," she added, breathless.

"Are you sure you don't want to see it Mrs. Nott?" the realtor asked, his bushy eyebrows nearly disappeared in his hairline. "I wouldn't want you to be unhappy with your decision."

"If you must," Hermione said dismissively, knowing that there was no way he was going to be able to talk her out of Number 26 Grimmauld Place. The vicinity to the Black family's townhouse was only too intriguing, and Hermione hoped it would be an easy way to cultivate connections with the pureblood sphere they needed to infiltrate.

A short while later, a portkey was arranged to take her to look at the home, for her comfort. The townhouse was nothing like the Grimmauld Place that she knew. Instead, it was light and airy, spacious, but in need of a good cleaning. There were more bedrooms than she and Theo could ever hope to inhabit, with several bathrooms as well. The dining room was beautifully appointed and the realtor even boasted of ample space to house an army of house elves. Hermione had to bite her tongue to stop from snapping at him about how they wouldn't be needing any House Elves when she realized that those kind of thoughts likely would not fit the bill.

She didn't see any reason why Theo shouldn't like the townhouse as it was perfectly acceptable, and with the right furnishings, she was sure they wouldn't be able to tell that it hadn't been in the family for ages.

The realtor returned her to his office where she found Theo waiting for her. He didn't even look at the paperwork before arranging for payment to be made from his newly opened Gringotts bank. Then her husband was ushering her out of the room."The goblins have given us some credit. My family name goes much further than I would have expected," he told her. "But the largest bet will be paid out in two days, so I am sure they will see that their faith was well placed."

"Our new home will need a lot of furniture. We won't be able to stay there tonight," Hermione explained, biting her lower lip as she thought it over. "Perhaps we should spend the evening at the Three Broomsticks and then come up with a more concrete plan for tomorrow morning."

"The Three Broomsticks?" Theo asked, looking aghast. "I can't ever imagine my father allowing me to stay there."

"I know, but...we are new to the Country, and well...we should save a little money if we can. Just because our bets will be paid out doesn't mean that we should blow through all of our galleons if we don't have to." Hermione didn't know what they would do if Malfoy and Zabini had somehow been wrong about the Quidditch scores in the first place. It was leaving too much up to chance in her opinion.

Theo could not argue with that logic. "Alright, I suppose. But first, let's get to Ollivander's. I can't leave you without a wand," he said, showing that he had not forgotten about the conundrum with Bellatrix's wand. The cobbled streets were familiar, but also somehow different, lined with old shops and ones that she had never seen before. But, it was clear that Garrick Ollivander had not changed one bit, giving her a quick smile when his eyes settled on her. "Hello, my wife needs a new wand," Theo said confidently, not stuttering on Hermione's new title.

"Of course, of course. I presume that you previously had a dragon heartstring core?" Ollivander asked, looking at Hermione at every angle while he tried to size her for a wand.

"Yes," Hermione answered, knowing better than to ask how he knew that. Ollivander always seemed to have a sense for which wand would fit which wizard. Even Bellatrix's wand was a dragon heartstring, even if the wood type was walnut instead of her faithful vinewood.

Hermione was eager to try whichever wand that he brought back for her, just glad everytime that it was not the wand she received when she was eleven. She didn't even want to think about would happen if her wand was no longer waiting for Hermione Granger the first time. She tried several before finally selecting a holly wand with a dragon heartstring core, at eleven and a half inches. It fit her much better than Bellatrix's wand.

"A very capable wand for a very capable witch," Ollivander said with a touch of awe in his eyes. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of working with your family before."

She cleared her throat, looking back down at the wand, pleased to note that it was the same material wand that Harry's had been. It felt as if she had a little piece of him with her. "You wouldn't have," she said finally. "I've lived my entire life abroad." Hermione had decided that less was more when it came to discussing the manufactured life that they had created for her. The fewer details she needed to keep together, the better.

Theo paid for the wand and once theyleft, he lead the way to the Three Broomsticks. They were some of the only patrons inside and their entrance didn't cause much issue, mercifully. Theo ushered her towards the bar. After a few quick words with the barkeep, he was taking her upstairs. "I've arranged for us to have dinner brought to our room."

There was nothing spectacular about the full bed in the middle of the room, but Hermione felt the weight of the day leave her shoulders. She undid the transfiguration on her clothes and sunk down on the edge of the mattress. Turning her head, she watched as Theo dropped himself into the chair, his eyes dropping to his lap. It was odd to remember once again that he was the only person in this whole time that she could rely on. "Not having regrets, are you?" she asked softly.

He turned to face her, weariness in his eyes. "Not yet," he answered, simply, letting his eyes trace over the curve of her body spread on the bed. "You?"

"No," she answered his challenge, unwilling to show the Slytherin any weakness. "I'm glad I've had your help though. I don't know how I would have gotten on if it wasn't for you."

Theo seemed uncomfortable with the praise and dropped his eyes to his lap again. "Well, don't thank me yet. We still have a lot to accomplish. Furniture for the house and then clothes of course. Can't believe I forgot about clothes," he said with a frown. "Tell me about the house. You were so insistent, but I've never even heard of it before."

"Walburga and Orion Black live at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, with their sons Sirius and Regulus. I figured it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. They could be our ticket in to You-Know-Who's circle of influence," she explained calmly, glad to see that he seemed to recognize the name. "And I have it on good authority that Orion Black is incredibly paranoid. As soon as he hears that a new magical couple have moved in on his block, I am sure he won't be able to resist reaching out."

"How do you know all of this?" Theo asked, looking amazed at the words that fell from her mouth.

"Sirius was Harry's godfather," she said with a bittersweet smile on her face. "And I've had more than one argument with that man when I lived at Grimmauld Place one summer."

"You like him," Theo said, eyes narrowing a fraction.

Hermione snorted in laughter. "Not like  _that_. Don't be jealous, Theo," she said, smirking at him. "Besides...he's only what, thirteen here?" she asked trying to do the mental math.

It was Theo's turn to roll his eyes at her. "The absolute  _worst_  time in a young man's life. When he thinks that he is the epitome of attraction and that absolutely no witch can resist him, despite being little more than an annoying pest whose voice hasn't even changed properly yet."

"Speaking from experience," she mused.

Before they could argue about Sirius Black any more, there was a knock at the door. Theo went to answer it, finding their dinner waiting for them on the other side. Hermione used her new wand to move the desk so that they could sit across from one another. She was pleased to see Tom's classic mash with beef stew and dug in happily, only to notice that Theo had a slip of paper in his hands.

"Well, it seems as if your gamble has paid off, Hermione," he said, handing it over to her. "The Blacks have invited us to dinner at their home tomorrow."

Hermione  _was_  surprised that they would have moved that fast, but she couldn't say that she was disappointed when there was no reason why they shouldn't get started as soon as possible. "I guess this means we need to go shopping tomorrow," she said with a disappointed frown on her face. If there was one thing she disliked, it was shopping for formal robes; but it was made all the worse by being completely in the dark with how formal the occasion was. At least she would have Theo to help guide her.

An awkward silence settled between the two teenagers, neither one quite sure what to talk about when they weren't planning on their mission. They would certainly have to work on this if they were ever going to pass suspicion at Grimmauld Place.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! And thank you for your patience as well! We were able to get moved to our new city, but now we just need to finish unpacking and reorganizing! Still, things should be much more stable for me now :) You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. HUGEST thank you to accio-echo, who beta read this chapter on seriously such short notice - a true life saver!
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter four and be on the lookout for chapter five soon!

Theo brought Hermione with him to go retrieve the first of his winnings the following morning, once the Daily Prophet announced that the Slytherins had correctly remembered the Quidditch upset that Theo had placed the first of his money on. "How do you even remember specifics like this? None of you were even born when it happened," she questioned her tall companion.

He shrugged his shoulders, unsure of how to answer. "Well, you remembered something about your muggle sport that happened before  _you_  were born," he countered.

"That's only because my father is upset about that game to this day. He made a bet with my uncle, who has yet to forget about it. He brings it up at every chance that he gets," Hermione tried to explain. "And it was a really big game. The championship, you could say. This is just a random game."

"It's not really that random. Daniel Fitzgibbons made his debut as chaser for the Tornadoes and scored a league record in one game...it's kind of seen as the start of a new era in Quidditch," he said quietly. "And Blaise loves the Tornadoes, so he's always had all the dates and scores memorized for debates."

Hermione fought a smile. "I thought Blaise would have preferred some Italian team," she said wryly. The other boy made no secret of his heritage, frequently boasting about the quality of his imported Italian loafers or how his elderly house elf brought over from Italy could cook better than any of the elves at Hogwarts.

Theo did not bother to hide the smile at the memory of his close friend, and Hermione was rather struck by how handsome he looked in that moment. Theo Nott had never been a heartthrob at Hogwarts, having been a very thin and rabbity looking boy with a long face, but there was no denying that he'd grown into his looks. She was certain that he would never be the boy that girls tittered over like Draco Malfoy, but she would be lying if she didn't say that hints of attraction to him were growing within her. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought about their rushed coupling in the Room of Requirement and wondered what he might have thought of the experience.

"So, what's your favorite Quidditch team?" she asked, not wanting the playfulness between them to fade so quickly. He gave her a suspicious look, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What? I'm your  _wife_ , shouldn't I know which team you support?" she explained, wondering if she'd pressed the shy man too much too quickly.

The reasoning seemed to do the trick though and Theo let his guard down once again. "I've been partial to the Appleby Arrows, as I grew up near Lincolnshire," he explained. "Their great rivals are the Wimbourne Wasps."

There was not much more time to discuss that as they had finally arrived at the shop. Theo handed his ticket to the clerk, who looked at the bet with wide eyes. "Don't act so surprised," Theo sneered, easily slipping into the Slytherin persona of thinking he was better than everyone else. "You had to know that this was on your books."

"Of course, sir," the clerk stammered. "I just need to authenticate the ticket." A few waves of his wand and it was revealed that the bet was legitimate.

Hermione was unable to stop the girlish gasp of surprise when she saw the absolutely eye-watering number of galleons that Theo was being paid out, saying a silent thank you to Malfoy and Zabini. It was no secret that this would help them immensely. She wrapped her arm tightly around Theo's arm and looked up at her husband adoringly. "Merlin's beard, my love," she said with a giggle. "You'll have to take me shopping  _now_."

He froze for a moment, caught off guard by her sudden rush of affection. "I'll buy you anything you want, darling," he answered finally understanding the ruse, in turn catching Hermione by surprise. He leaned over, nuzzling his face against her neck before whispering just loudly enough for the clerk to hear. "Shall we have a bit of fun and place another bet? Who do you think we should put our winnings on, darling?"

She shivered at the feeling of his lips just barely grazing the shell of her ear, sending a shiver up and down her spine. The clerk was barely able to roll his eyes at the happy couple, ignoring their public display of affection.

"The Arrows play tomorrow. Shall we put a third on them?" he prodded, practically giving her the answer.

"Yes," Hermione replied breathless. "Let's live a little. A third on Appleby," she announced, catching the clerk's attention once again that such a large bet was being placed.

"A third, Miss?" he asked, his eyes wide. "The odds are 24-1 in  _Puddlemere's_  favor," he said condescendingly.

"It's Mrs.," Hermione responded with a sneer of her own. "And don't presume to tell me what to do with  _my_  galleons. If I want to lose it all on one game, I assure you that it will be just a drop in the bucket."

Theo was smirking at the clerk by the time that she was finished, and pushed another third of their money forward. "And put this on Montrose. I know the odds are against me - no need to give me a warning. And who knows, perhaps we will get lucky again."

WIth their points made clear, Theo guided her out of the shop, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her against him. Once they were outside, he gave a sigh of relief, the stress of the moment falling off of him. "You did well," he told her, after a beat of silence. "You reminded me a bit of Mrs. Malfoy."

Normally Hermione would not find that being compared to Narcissa Malfoy was something that she would want, but in this scenario, where they were in the past and meant to blend in, she supposed that it was the best compliment that she could get. "Is that going to be enough money to furnish our house and get some clothes? Don't forget that we have dinner with the Blacks tonight, and we will want to look the part." It was her fourth day wearing the same set of clothes and she was dying to have a good long bath and change into fresh knickers.

"We should be able to get enough to move in," Theo answered her, his hand tightening unconsciously on her waist. "Anything else we can just say we are shipping from abroad."

Thinking that was as good of an idea as any, Hermione agreed, letting Theo side along apparate her 'round to the shops. It turned out that Theo was an even more miserable shopper than Hermione was. Neither one of them really wanted to make a decision about what kind of furniture to get - Hermione because she was desperately worried about choosing something gauche that would reveal her true status as a muggleborn to the rest of the pureblood world she was living in, and Theo because he just honestly didn't care about furniture so long as it did its job.

Eventually, though, they were able to find a bed and a set for their parlor to receive the guests that they inevitably would. Theo agreed that the rest of the house could wait, and Hermione might use it as an opportunity to strengthen her bond with some other ladies in their social circle, a prospect that Hermione was not particularly looking forward to.

Clothes shopping was even more dismal than furniture, but eventually Hermione had selected some nice robes that Theo assured her would do well for their occasion that evening. It was more covered up than what she usually wore, but the look in her husband's eyes when he saw her standing in it was enough to make her heart skip a beat in anticipation.

It seemed that the dress certainly made an impression on Walburga Black as well. The woman's lip curled in distrust at first as she saw the young woman of the couple who were escorted into the parlor where she was waiting with her husband and sons. "Mr. and Mrs. Nott, how good to meet you," she said, although she obviously didn't mean it. "I love your dress - it's very modern."

Theo gave her a squeeze where their hands were joined, perhaps trying to calm her down, recognizing that Walburga was decidedly  _not_  giving his wife a compliment.

The two families came together, cautiously passing back and forth greetings, until each and everyone was addressed. The Blacks were not the beautiful family that she had imagined. Regulus was weedy and suspicious, while Sirius had the beginnings of a spot on his chin. So much for his flawlessly good looks that he always waxed on about pre-Azkaban. In any case, Theo had nothing to worry about. Walburga was thin with a long, pinched face. Her hair was pulled back in a severe style that did nothing but serve to make her look older and more matronly than she was. Hermione was unsurprised that she would lash out at a young witch who'd recently come to London. Orion, by comparison, was undeniably handsome, with his thick dark hair, just the hints of grey coming out at his temples. He was tall, but did not reach Theo's height. But most intriguing of all were his silvery grey eyes that truly drew a person in.

After a quick drink, the group reassembled in their formal dining room where a lavish feast was laid out in their honor. Regulus and Sirius murmured to one another quietly, recognizing that they were meant to be seen and  _not_  heard, garnering furious hisses from their mother periodically when they became too rowdy.

As for the the adults in the room, it was clear that there was a large generational gap between them - each couple at different points in their lives, which left them at odds in conversation. The majority of their discussion seemed to stem around Hermione and Theo's recent  _move_ , something Hermione belatedly realized that they hadn't spent nearly enough time cementing their backstory. To that end, Hermione let Theo do most of the talking.

She was pleased to know that he seemed to know a lot about his family member's time in Croatia, filling in all sorts of details about the vampire rebellions and the troubles that they faced while he was there. It was odd to see this other side of Theo. In an instant, he almost became a new creature - one who was witty, charming and not the least bit shy. She wondered if he just felt more at home in these circumstances, talking about  _half-breeds_  the same way that she would talk about the essay she had due.

"Mrs. Nott, I confess that your husband was easier to get information about," Orion said, his grey eyes flashing with amusement. "I couldn't find anything out about  _you_."

"Please, call me Hermione," she said smoothly, trying to give herself a moment to remember her own backstory, berating herself for not having fleshed it out more. She and Theo would practice, until it was as easy to slip into as a well-worn jumper. "I don't suppose you would have heard much about my family. My father is a diplomat for the British Ministry, working in an office in Hong Kong. I was born there and raised there my whole life."

"Then how did you met your husband?" Walburga asked, sniffing lightly and looking between the pair with disdain. "A whole continent away from one another. I doubt it was easy for your paths to cross."

"Well, as I am sure you know, there has been growing unrest between the British and the Chinese in Hong Kong. It started with the muggles, but it now spread to the wizarding world as well," Hermione explained. A bit of glee filled her when she realized that Walburga had  _no_  idea what she was talking about. "My father thought it was safest for me to do a tour abroad."

"And you went to Croatia?" Walburga questioned, her eyebrows raising in surprise. "How  _unusual_."

Theo reached out and took her hand on the table. "We actually met while I was on holiday in Greece, and I was utterly captivated," he said, looking at her with fondness in his eyes, making her breath catch in her throat. "Not only was she funny and wickedly intelligent, but she has impeccable breeding as well. However, I knew that Croatia was no place for a young woman to be, especially not during the  _war_  with the vampires, so we've come to London instead to enjoy ourselves."

Hermione was touched by the moment, and so impressed with Theo's acting that she could almost for a minute believe that it was  _real_. Could anyone else tell that in the past days she'd spoken exponentially more to Theo than she ever had in her entire life?

Orion was the one to break the pleasant moment. "And by enjoying yourself, you mean placing ludicrous bets on Quidditch teams?" he asked, not sounded very impressed with them. "You are calling attention to yourself, and not in a good way."

Suddenly, the bravado Hermione had earlier at the shop when she proclaimed that how she spent her money was none of the clerk's business evaporated. When Orion questioned them, it made her feel like she'd rather disappointed her father. "It's not a regular habit," she said, a blush staining her cheeks.

"I don't see anything wrong with the way that I choose to handle  _my_  fortune," Theo said scolded, though she could tell from the stilted way he talked that he was also caught off guard.

The pleasant air that Hermione had previously hoped for never seemed to materialize and they spent the remainder of the evening talking politics with Orion while drinking a very rich port for dessert. The Black patriarch seemed frustrated with how little Theo seemed to know about the current political landscape and vowed to introduce him to the right people at the Wizengamot, which was certainly a step in the right direction.

As they were making their goodbyes in the entrance to Number Twelve, Orion's eyes lingered on the pocket watch on Theo's vest. "Family heirloom?" he asked, sounding far too nonchalant for it not to be significant. Hermione asked Walburga if she could owl her later for suggestions about House Elves that they would undoubtedly need.

The couple made their way back across the muggle street, to their less empty than before house. Retreating to their bedroom immediately, Theo was cursing himself, practically ripping the pocket watch from his chest. "What's wrong?" Hermione asked, taking his hands in hers, searching his face.

"My father gave this to me at my seventeenth birthday and I was too sentimental to not realize that I have no reason to have it here," he explained, before turning to hide it in the very back of his wardrobe. "Now it's going to get back to my father and he will be suspicious."

"Well, we have to meet him eventually, don't we?" she asked, thinking that they might as well get it over with.

"I just don't even know why I was holding on to a bit of the past when he means so little to me," Theo said, clearly furious with himself. Again, he referenced some unspoken tension between him and his father, but Hermione still didn't feel that they were close enough for her to press for more details. "The more we hold on to bits of the past, the more danger for us to get tangled up in it. We shouldn't even talk about it anymore."

Hermione slipped out of her robes, not caring that she was left in only her undergarments. She saw the way Theo's eyes were drawn to her body, but he didn't leer at her. Pulling out a nightgown, she slipped it over her head, before climbing on  _their_  bed. There was no discussion about ever having separate bedrooms. "I agree. But drawing  _some_ detail from our past lives could make our story seem more authentic."

Theo turned away from her suddenly, his fingers working to pull his own shirt from his body, apparently trying to change as quickly as possible. It seemed that her husband didn't share her inhibition in showing his body off for his wife. "I suppose there is a grain of truth in that," he said after a few beats. Theo slipped into the bed next to her.

"I've been meaning to bring something up to you," Hermione said, turning so that she face him, enjoying the sharp angle of his jaw, hints of a five o'clock shadow emerging. "I think that we should practice occlumency, and try to build up a tolerance to veritaserum. Who knows what You-Know-Who does to people."

"I can teach you occlumency. You'll probably have an aptitude for it," he said, his eyes lingering a bit longer than strictly necessary on her lips.

"Why's that? Because I'm good at everything else I try?" she asked. "Because I assure you I do a lot of studying and practice."

"No because you're...introverted and good at looking in on yourself, more introspective," he said with a frown. "People like us are always better at occlumency."

She was surprised that he correctly categorized her as an introvert, thinking that most of her classmates would only see her outspokenness and draw their own assumptions from that. But it was something that made her like him and it made her feel a bit warmer inside to know that she shared something with Theo.

"And we also need to talk about the horcruxes...what they are and where they might be," Hermione said, biting her lower lip, remembering the colossal task that they had in front of them. Yes, they needed to ingratiate themselves into the pureblood sphere, but that was only half the problem. "And how to destroy them once we find them."

There were a lot of unknowns that the couple needed to work out, but it wasn't as if they'd be able to solve them all that night. Closing her eyes, Hermione let sleep take her and she dreamed of bright blue oceans and stark white buildings in Greece.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am still working on reviewer responses, but I should have them done by the end of the day today, so look out for those! I am glad you are liking this one - the premise has just been so fun to tackle. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter five and be on the lookout for chapter six next week!

Hermione woke the next day feeling a combination of anticipation and nerves. Their meeting with the Blacks had highlighted some of their deficiencies, but Hermione was also eager to get moving on things. There was a lot that they still had to do - like contact Minerva McGonagall, something they hadn't talked about yet - but she knew there was some low hanging fruit that they could handled easily.

In the night, she and Theo had drifted a bit closer to one another, and he had one heavy leg thrown over her thighs, holding her in place. It wasn't too restrictive and she found herself enjoying the warmth of his skin seeping into her, the light scratch of his hair on her smooth skin. It was an unusual step of intimacy that she had never shared with anyone before, even though she hadn't been a virgin when they were married. She couldn't think of another time that she had shared a bed with a man, let alone someone with so many unknowns as Theodore Nott.

To her surprise, her heartbeat sped up with unspent anticipation, but she wasn't actually  _uncomfortable_  lying together with him like this. Turning her head, she drank in every angle of Theo's face, from the gentle slope of his perfect nose to the masculine cut of his jaw, and wondered for the thousandth time how she hadn't noticed him while they were at school with one another.

The clouds shifted and the sunlight streamed into their room, landing on his face. Hermione watched as his eyes move under his eyelids, until they were fluttering open. She didn't look away as his pupils constricted in the light, coming to focus on her face staring back at him.

"Good morning," he mumbled slightly, confused and still half asleep, but Hermione was pleased to note that he made no move to get away from her.

"Morning," she greeted in response, offering a closed lipped smile. "There's no need to get up yet if you want to sleep more. The horcruxes can wait." It wasn't as if they were going to be able to find all of them in one day.

Theo, perhaps more open in his sleepy state, reached out and pushed her hair behind her ear, the palm of his hand brushing against her cheek in the process. The tips of his fingers traced down the side of her neck towards her bare shoulder, towards elbow and eventually wrist, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in their wake."Tell me about the horcruxes," he asked.

Hermione's eyes were nearly half shut when he continued to trace lazy patterns on her exposed arm, the act so affectionate and pleasing that she nearly wondered if she was imagining it. Instead, she forced the quiet noise of satisfaction that was threatening to come back down, focusing herself so that she could answer him. "I believe that he will only have made five in this time. The snake doesn't become a horcrux until he is resurrected and Harry obviously hasn't been born yet," she started.

"Five?" he asked, his voice still graveley from sleep. "That's...daunting, but not something that we can't handle together."

"I know where they  _should_ be if he's already put them there, but it's not set in stone obviously," she continued, watching as his eyes dipped towards the collar of her nightgown. "Some will be easier to get than others."

"Go on," he encouraged, his mouth left half open when his fingers skimmed across her shoulder and along her collar bone, feeling the gentle curve and dip of her body.

"There is Slytherin's locket, which I have on good authority is in this particular cave. Harry told me where it was," she answered him, thinking that she was enjoying his touch  _far_  too much. Did he know what he was doing, she wondered? Since she had known him, Theo had seemed shy and unsure of himself - not  _averse_ to physical affection, but certainly not putting himself in a situation to receive it. Where had this new confidence come from?

"Keep talking," he encouraged.

Hermione felt her cheeks heat up when she realized that she had stopped talking, too focused on the feeling of him touching her. "There is a ring that was in ownership of the Gaunt family. Not sure where that is, but Dumbledore found it last time. There is a curse on it, nasty and terrible. Actually, I am sure  _all_ the horcruxes have some level of protection against them. The lost diadem of Ravenclaw is in the Room of Requirement. Hufflepuff's Cup was in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts when we found it. And...there is a Diary that belonged to You-Know-Who-"

"You should probably get used to calling him the Dark Lord," Theo said, his eyes dropping for a moment. "Or….I'm not sure how he will be styling himself just yet. My father was never quite clear with me."

"The  _Dark Lord_ ," she continued, irreverently rolling her eyes at him, "has given the Diary to Lucius Malfoy for safe keeping."

 _That_ had Theo sucking in a breath that he wasn't expecting. "He really had a  _horcrux_ in his home while he was raising Draco? Reckless," he sneered, showing his utter disapproval with that man's choices.

"Yes, until our second year, when he slipped it into Ginny Weasley's cauldron, causing her to become possessed and open the Chamber of Secrets," Hermione informed him smartly. It felt a bit like a betrayal to reveal Ginny's secret after  _all these years_ , but it wasn't as if it had actually happened yet. There was no need to protect the girl when she  _wasn't_  going to be put into that situation again, not if Hermione had anything to do about it.

"So it was the Weaselette? We always figured it really  _was_  Potter who'd opened it," he responded, dark eyebrows drawn together, perhaps frustrated that they hadn't been able to work it out.

"Do you really call her that demeaning name?" she asked, finally sitting up. Even though Theo was her only friend in this time, the only person who knew exactly what was going on, that didn't mean that she was going to tolerate him talking about Ginny that way. "It makes you look juvenille and weak."

Theo followed her lead and sat up as well, letting the sheets pool in their lap. "Old habits die hard, I suppose," he said, not sounding too concerned with her insult.

Hermione felt like such an imposter in that situation, embarrassed really, like a child pretending to play house. Only it  _wasn't_  pretend, not really. This was her bed and her house and her husband and it was just the domesticity of it all that she was straining to get out of. Yes, she knew that she needed to become this character that she was meant to embody, but it was odd and uncomfortable still.

She flinched when she felt his hands in her hair once again, pushing it behind her back, leaving the slope of her shoulder bare to his eyes. He was leaning in towards her then, closer and closer… Hermione pulled back, feeling like she'd been shocked. "What are you doing?" she asked, unsure of what was going on in the moment, unsure of what he was playing at. A small fear in the pit of her stomach was gnawing away, wondering if he was just using her for some nefarious purpose, before she remembered the unbreakable vow that he'd made.

"I-" Theo started to explain, only to quickly lose his voice. The confident person that he'd been in that uncertain place between waking and dreaming disappeared in an instant, only to be replaced with the cautious and measured Theo she knew so far. That Theo had no response for her.

Waiting a few more beats, Hermione stood from the bed when he nothing else to add, determined to put some space between them to help clear her mind. "I'm going to get ready for the day," she told him, not looking back at the bed where she left him. "I'll join you for breakfast to plan out the rest of our day."

Hermione breezed into the en suite bathroom she had been surprised to find in their townhome, stepping under the scalding heat of the shower. Making a note to look at the pipes -  _how did wizards heat their water? -_  she made quick of her routine before stepping out. Towel wrapped around her, she peeked her head out of the door, pleased to see that Theo had vacated their room. While she'd changed in front of him the other night, she wasn't sure if she was ready to get completely naked in front of him, especially not after his display that morning.

Her closet was full of robes now after their impromptu shopping trip. Selecting a pretty set of robes in cream, she dried and styled her hair. Confident that she looked presentable enough in her vanity, Hermione made the quick trip down the stairs.

Theo was waiting at the dining room table with a bowl of oatmeal in front of him, filled to the brim with brown sugar. "I'm afraid I'm rather useless when it comes to cooking...this is all that I can make. But if you want something else, I am sure that we can sort it," he explained.

"No need," Hermione said, before preparing her own bowl of oatmeal, never having been one for a large breakfast. "As much as I am loathe to admit it, having a house elf  _will_  help. Cooking is obviously neither of our strong points, and well, I think we will have bigger things to focus on than eating."

He raised an eyebrow at her, looking at her with suspicion. "Really? Hermione  _Granger_  is going to happily have a house elf?" he asked, sounding incredulous.

"Yes," Hermione said tersely. "For one, I thought we agreed last night to leave our past in the past, and for me that means my fight for fair treatment of creatures and beings. It won't serve me well at all, so despite personally being very against it, I will relent and get a house elf as it is expected as a pureblood that I would have one. However, I will not stand for you mistreating the elf. We will be respectful and will not punish it in some of the barbaric ways that I know are typical."

Holding his hands up in defense, Theo denied her claims. "I've never been rude to a house elf, so I am not really sure why you would lump me in with everyone else," he said with a frown. "But it will be a good chance to continue to build up our relationship with the Blacks. They were not the friendliest people."

Hermione snorted in amusement. "No they were not. Everything that Sirius had said about his mother seemed to ring true," she said. Rolling out her shoulders and feeling the weight of everything that they had to do piling up on her, she let out a sigh. "It's just one more thing for us to add to the list."

"We could make a plan to work through it...put things in order, so it doesn't seem so overwhelming," Theo offered, looking rather world-weary himself. "And remember that we don't have to do everything to day. We have  _years_  before we really need to start worrying. Building up our backstory is the best thing to do right now, so that we are not questioned.'

"Well, we need to defeat You-Know-Who, but that's obviously the  _last_  on the list," Hermione said, knowing that it was good that they had some time to work with. It was good to have Theo grounding her expectations. "Before that we should get rid of all the horcruxes. Dumbledore  _has_  the Elder Wand...I don't know if that is worth going after. We need to reach out to Minerva...get veritaserum without suspicion."

"Don't worry about the veritaserum," he said, waving off that concern. "We can go to the apothecary today after breakfast. It's tricky to brew, but between the two of us, we should be able to handle it plenty. I'm a very capable brewer, and as I recall, you are a very accomplished potioneer yourself."

"That sounds like a compliment, Theo," she quipped, unused to receiving  _praise_  from a Slytherin.

"That's because it is one...no point in denying the truth," he countered, apparently unbothered by the exchanged.

"I don't know if  _that's_  true...I certainly am exacting when it comes to following directions, but it's not as if I'm a natural brewer like Professor Snape or even  _Malfoy_ ," she said with a soft scowl on her face, hating that it  _was_  the truth. It was something that she'd grown deeply insecure about in her sixth year while Harry was relying on the handwritten notes of the Half-Blood Prince, not realizing that it was Severus Snape who'd been writing it.

Theo chuckled quietly, suddenly finding his oatmeal very interesting. "If he could hear you know, I am sure that Draco would try to have you committed to St. Mungo's," he said, trying to hide his smile. "That  _sounded_  very much like a compliment, Hermione."

She shrugged her shoulders. "As you say, no point in denying the truth," she said, knowing that Draco had been a very excellent brewer. "We probably shouldn't approach Minerva until we get a horcrux. I know that she gave us information to help sway her, to prove to her that we really are who we say we are, but...I just think that having some proof would help her take us more seriously. She is a dangerous witch."

"I agree. I'm concerned enough about approaching her...getting her to sit down and listen to us is going to be tricky and I don't think it will be as simple as inviting her over for tea," Theo said, pushing his now empty bowl out of the way. "We might have to...I don't know? Trick her to get her out of Hogwarts or something."

"I said I was willing to do  _whatever_  it takes to make a better future, and I meant it," she said seriously, knowing that she was likely going to have to do things that pushed her well out of her comfort zone. Still, she didn't like to be reminded of that fact.

Theo flushed. "I didn't mean to question your commitment, Hermione," he reassured her quietly. "Just wanted to be sure that we were on the same page and prepared to do what...what we need to do. Silence stretched between them for a moment too long. "So which horcrux do you think will be easiest to get ahead of the meeting with Minerva?" he asked eventually.

"Well, the diadem obviously is the least well protected, but I am unsure of how we would be able to get into Hogwarts again, let alone the Room of Requirement. I can't believe that we didn't just think to grab it when we were there last," she said, suddenly feeling very angry at herself for not remembering it at the time. "Although, we  _know_  it's there and undisturbed, so I suppose there is no harm in leaving it there either."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Theo said, reaching across the table and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Hermione felt the tension she was holding in her shoulders begin to dissipate. "We had more pressing issues at the time...like not getting caught inside the school. That would have been way worse."

"Thanks," she answered softly, her eyes darting to his face, touched by the thoughtful look she saw reflected in his eyes. Realizing that she'd held eye contact just a bit too long, she looked away, clearing her throat. "The horcrux we should probably go for is the locket. Regulus Black will successfully steal it in 1979."

"Regulus?" Theo asked, incredulous. "How did he know about it?"

"You-Know-Who borrows Kreacher to go check on it then...and Regulus figured it out from there," she explained, her eyebrows furrowing together when she thought of how awful it must have been. "Harry and Dumbledore went there in our sixth year and retrieved the fake that Regulus left behind without realizing it wasn't the real one, so I've got a good idea of the general protections on it."

"Why would the Dark Lord need a house elf to check on it?" Theo wondered, thinking that it did not quite make sense, running his hand through his brown hair thinking over the possibilities.

"Apparently there is a boat to take you across inferi-infested waters that surround a small island at the center of the cave," Hermione explained, using her wand to leave behind strands of magic to illustrate her point. "But only one of age wizard can go in the boat at a time. Then there is an elixir that you must drink to get to the locket, that causes terrible despair and thirst...making you want to drink from the inferi-infested waters," she explained. "Basically, you need someone to do with you."

The obvious problem that they were both of age hung between them for a few moments. "De-aging potion?" Theo offered hopefully.

"Don't you think if Dumbledore was prepared for that in the Tri-Wizard Tournament that the Dark Lord would have thought of it, too?" she asked, biting her lower lip. Voldemort was certainly no slouch, even if he was awful and terrible.

"And why can't you just apparate to and from the island?" Theo asked, thinking that bypassing the whole boat would really be the best option.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he's got very heavy anti-apparition wards, not to mention a whole host of others, to prevent that kind of thing. He doesn't want anyone accidentally stumbling on his horcrux," Hermione said, with a frown. If  _only_  it were that simple.

But Theo's face was transformed by a smirk, making him look more handsome than he had the right to be when he was clearly scheming. "Well, it's a good thing that both you and I are so proficient in charms….and I've got a thorough working knowledge of wards," he said proudly, making Hermione feel confident for the first time since coming to the past.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Hermione and Theo definitely have a lot of things that they need to talk about, but they are making strides in the right direction. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! Also HUGE HUGE thank you to accio-echo for beta reading this chapter 3 Seriously, she is so amazing...I keep giving her chapters with like no turn around time and she keeps getting it done and I am so so thankful for her help!
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter six and be on the lookout for chapter seven next week!

Their trip to the apothecary was uneventful with no one the wiser that Theo and Hermione Nott might be trying to brew veritaserum in their townhouse. In their correct time, it was incredibly well regulated, but in the early 70s, there were not as many protections in place. They had agreed that they did not want to raise any more suspicions than their reckless betting already had. Theo had returned to the betting office himself, collecting their huge sum of galleons before depositing it at Gringotts. They had grown quite a fortune and there were still a few more sure bets to place, but they were perfectly well off for now.

It was uncomfortable to brew with Theo, if she was honest. She had spent so many years keeping a watchful eye over Neville, constantly worried about the impending disaster when he inevitably got his potion wrong, leaving her in state of concern whenever she worked with a partner. Then, in sixth year, she was finally able to work on her own and had found a new ease that she didn't know she could have with brewing. To suddenly have someone standing beside her again in the cleared out basement of their townhouse made Hermione's concerns come back involuntarily, not matter how precise his chopping was, or how careful he was when counting stirs of the cauldron.

"You don't have to worry so much," he finally snapped when he sensed her hovering behind him while he completed the first of several critical steps in the month long brewing process. "I'm not a fuck up like Longbottom. I'm a better brewer than you are."

Hermione was unused to this snide, prickly side of Theo being directed at her. Reeling back, she sucked in a deep breath, unsure of what to say, torn somewhere between wanting to apologize and protest at his assessment. "I don't know about that," she said with a frown. "I had better marks than you, even in potions."

He turned to face her once he'd added in the the ground newt tail, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "That might be true, but I'm still a better brewer than you. I've been helping my father since I was a child, and you aren't comfortable with the process. You worry too much and are too rigid to be a truly good brewer," he said sternly, leaving no room for further argument. "Look, I'm not trying to belittle you, but you don't need to hover around me. I'm here to help you and you will just have to accept that you don't  _always_  have to be the one to take care of things between the two of us. I'm  _capable_."

Hermione wondered where the Theo who had complimented her abilities just earlier in the day had gone, and she bit her lip, hoping that he didn't see how wobbly she really felt. "I'm sorry," she said, even if she didn't really  _want_  to apologize. It was going to be different working with Theo, but she really did need to get used to putting her trust in him. "Old habits die hard," she offered, remembering how he'd said something similar about calling Ginny 'Weaselette.'

Theo gave her a brief nod, before fixing the hair that had fallen across his forehead while he'd been over the hot cauldron. "That needs to simmer for a few days now," he said, determined to gloss over the previous unease of their discussion. "Would you like to start practicing Occlumency? We can construct a better backstory at the same time."

She agreed, leading the way up the stairs to their well-appointed parlor, settling into one of the comfortable couches that they had recently purchased. Theo settled into the open spot next to her, stretching his long legs in front of him. "I hope I'm good at this…" she said nervously. "Professor Snape tried to teach Harry in fifth year and it was all a disaster."

He snorted in amusement, rolling his eyes. "Whoever decided to pair them together was determined to have Potter fail then," he said. "Snape had no tolerance for him on a good day, let alone trying to teach something as difficult as Occlumency. Besides, Potter just wasn't suited to the art, he'd have struggled no matter what."

"It was Dumbledore," Hermione said with a frown, still unable to forgive the Headmaster for having known that Harry would have to sacrifice himself the entire time, rather than trying to find a way to get rid of the soul piece that had attached itself to her friend.

It was clear that Theo didn't know how to respond to her accusatory tone and settled for lecturing on the idea of Occlumency. "The most successful way to think of Occlumency is not to think of building up big walls and blocking off memories, but rather, showing someone what you want them to see," he explained. "If you put up a big wall and there is no memory where one is expected, it will be very obvious and a master legilimens would be capable of dismantling any wall that you'd put up."

"That makes sense," Hermione agreed.

"Let's try something with your parents," he said, pulling out his wand so that he would be able to cast the spell. "Show me a typical evening in the Granger household in Hong Kong." Making eye contact with her, he didn't give her much chance to prepare herself before he was entering her mind, slipping in gently.

Hermione focused, remembering a dinner that she might have had when she was home for summer, before fabricating some of the details, like the local cuisine instead of the Sunday roast her mum would have made. She imagined her father in brilliant blue wizard's robes, quite pleased with the on the fly changes. Keeping eye contact with Theo was a bit uncomfortable...she wanted to look away before memories of their morning in bed slipped back in, embarrassing her. She could feel him pushing at the edges of the memory, examining little threads while memory Hermione proudly gave them her end of term marks.

After what felt like an eternity, Theo was pulling back, a proud look on his face. "That was a very good first attempt," he praised her, his hand pressing to her knee in an awkward, affectionate squeeze. "But the fabricated details were a little bit flat...what did your father's wizards robe feel like? How did the food smell and taste? It will be fuzzy in your memory, but some of those sensory things will stick out."

She blushed from the praise, but refocused herself hearing his feedback. Theo gave good notes, the perfect blend of compliment and room to improve that made Hermione want to try again and again until she could get it right. "Let's go again," she insisted, feeling the most like herself than she had since...well maybe even before the horcrux hunt.

Theo smirked at her need to prove herself. "Okay," he nodded, finding her wide open eyes a second time. " _Legilimens_."

br

It had taken several weeks, but they had finally gotten to the point that they could leave the veritaserum brewing on its own for a few days. There had been a while where one of them had to stay with it around the clock, leaving Hermione to spend two awkward dinners alone with the Blacks, claiming that Theo had gone back to Croatia to tie up some loose ends. If they didn't believe her, they made no mention of it.

Theo had also taken several solo trips to the cave that held the horcrux to examine the wards surrounding it, something Hermione thought would be much more enjoyable than picking out a new house elf with Walburga and her sons; Regulus's breathless notes about what made a superior servant churning her stomach. But, it was true that he had far more knowledge than she did when it came to the complex warding that Voldemort had placed on the cave.

Theo had even begun crafting wards for their townhouse using both of their magic as part of the Nott family. It was an odd feeling to know that she was so thoroughly included in the Nott family now that her magic would lend their warding strength, something that seemed far more intimate than sharing a bed with him, even if he no longer did his best not to touch her, inevitably pulling her to rest her head on his broad chest in the night.

"He hadn't put anything to notify him about any disturbances on the cave, even if the wards are tampered with," Theo told her casually over dinner, trying to temper his optimism. "Probably figured there would be animals that would trip them all the time, or that the rest of his defences would be sufficient."

"That's probably why he had to go check for himself with Kreacher," Hermione said with a frown. "He needed to see for himself that it was still there."

"The good news is that we will be able to get into the cave. It will be difficult to unravel the wards, but between the two of us, it won't be impossible," he said brightly, going over the plan of what they would do when they got there. "Then we will be able to apparate to the island at the center of the cave freely."

"But we still don't know what the elixir guarding the locket is," Hermione said with a frown. She had no way of knowing if Dumbledore would have survived it, seeing as he had been murdered by Professor Snape not long after ingesting it. According to Harry, he'd been weak and unstable in the end.

"Yes, and there is no getting by the blood ward at the entrance. One of us will have to give some blood to get past and one of us will have to drink the elixir," he explained. "I'll drink the elixir."

"No, Theo -" Hermione said with a frown, feeling dread creeping in at the thought. "If something were to happen to you...I'd be left floundering. You would be able to get much further in this world. I don't even know what robes to buy without you!"

He gave her a small smile. "Don't sell yourself short, Hermione," he said in response. "You were willing to sacrifice yourself by going alone. I know you could accomplish what we've been sent back for. But in any case, you are far better at thinking on your feet in high stress situations than I am. I am confident that you will be able to heal me should something go wrong with the elixir, though I doubt that it has any purpose than to make you touch the inferi-infested water."

The thought made Hermione uneasy, but she could see her point and she could further see that there would be no convincing him otherwise. "We had better go now," she said with a frown. "Otherwise it will be another month before the veritaserum is completed and we have such a large chunk of time free."

With that decided, Theo offered her his arm and side-along apparated with her to the entrance of the cave. She immediately cut her hand and pressed it to the stone at the entrance, giving Theo an imperious look. "If you are going to drink the elixir, then I will give the blood sacrifice," she said firmly. "Besides, it's probably just meant to weaken the drinker any way. I'm going to give you the best shot at getting through this."

He frowned in response, before leading her inside of the cave where they could begin dismantling the wards. "The anti-apparition ward is tied in with the rest of them. We will have to peel them back like the layers of an onion," he explained matter-of-factly, before raising his wand and beginning the simple counter charm to the ward that produced an overwhelming sense of dread to fill the cave.

Hermione lifted her wand, helping with the charms work. It started out simple enough, but the further that they went, the more and more difficult it became to complete. Theo had done a good job of breaking the wards down into smaller pieces, but there was no denying the immense power that Voldemort had to complete this task on his own. She could feel the ripples of raw magic dissipating as the wards dropped one by one, each wave seeming to grow larger and large like waves on the ocean.

By the time that the last ward had fallen, Hermione was sweating from the effort, breathing as if she had just run for an hour. Casting a quick tempus, she saw that they had spent nearly an hour working together to take it down. "This was amazing," she whispered to Theo, looking at him with wide eyes. "I mean...I knew he was an accomplished wizard, but this is a show of magical force. And he's hidden it away where no one can see it."

"He's capable of  _much_  worse," Theo said with a serious look on his face, sounding as if he knew. "We should try to apparate now. I'll go first in case something happens." He did not wait for her agreement, instead disappearing from before her eyes with a loud crack and reappearing across the still lake on the little island moments later.

Cursing under her breath that he was well determined to go off and do things on his own, Hermione gripped her own wand tightly in her hand, visualizing the island across the lake and apparating there beside Theo. When she got there, he was standing in front of the column holding the locket covered in the elixir, using his wand to try and siphon off the liquid. Even though she knew it would be a lost cause, she began to lend her magic to anything she could think of to get the locket, including banishing it. To their collective dismay, the elixir remained untouched and unmoving in it's basin.

"I guess there is no other way around it," Theo said with a frown. He picked up the half shell that had been provided, filling it up as much as he could before bringing it to his lips. "Well, here goes nothing."

Before Hermione could even say an encouraging word, Theo was gulping down the first mouthful of the elixir, dipping the half shell in again to get more of the water. It seemed that his strategy was to drink as much of it as possible as quickly as possible, but the effects of the potion quickly caught up to him. She watched as he gasped, dropping to his knees, the shell falling to the sandy ground beneath them.

Theo pressed his hands to this throat, to his stomach and cried out in utter agony. She had never heard anyone make a noise quite like that, not even when she had splinched Ron. It was so visceral, making tears well in her eyes, because she knew...she knew that she was going to have to make him drink more. Grabbing the shell, Hermione quickly refilled it, noting that he only had about two or three more swallows to go.

He clutched at her leg, still hunched over in pain. "Please, Theo, you have to keep drinking," she pleaded, gently tilting his head up to look at her. His eyes were filled with a look of betrayal...of confusion, as to why she would force him to keep hurting. Still, he took the offered shell to his lips and drank down what he could. When it was empty, he pushed away at her hands.

"No more," he keened as tears rolled down his dirty cheeks freely. "Please, no more. I can't-" He was cut off by a low whine, no longer able to articulate his words.

Hermione filled the cup once more, seeing that she would be able to grab hold of the chain if he just hand this one last drink. "It's the very last, Theo, I promise," she said, tears beginning to fall from her own cheeks when she saw how much her husband was hurting. And it was all her fault. "Drink it," she commanded, holding the shell to his lips until he swallowed it all down.

He did as he was bade, stronger than she could have ever imagined. Turning her attention back to the basin, she grabbed at the chain, pulling the locket free from the remaining liquid. She choked out a noise of success, glad that they were done with this, before grabbing onto Theo's hand roughly, apparating him back to their townhouse as quickly as possible.

With his arm thrown over her shoulder, she half-dragged him towards their bathroom, dropping next to the toilet.

"Water, please," he whined, still crying. "I need water."

"You need to throw up first," Hermione insisted, knowing that the best defense against the elixir would be to get it out of his system. Using an emetic charm, she rubbed at his back while he hunched over the toilet bowl, spewing until the last of the poison was expelled from his stomach. Then she accioed a cup, before filling it with water. Handing it to Theo, she watched as he greedily drank it down. "Go slow, Theo," she said half-heartedly, knowing it was too much to ask.

Once he seemed to be moving in the right direction, she stood from the bathroom floor. "I'm just going to get some potions to make you feel better," she promised, pushing his sweaty hair back from his face, looking at his dark circle-rimmed eyes.

Hermione collected what she needed as quickly as possible, before returning to Theo's side. She knew that the potions would ease his pain, but only time would make it fade completely. Determined to help him as much as possible, she spent the evening with him lying on the bathroom floor, with his face pressed against her chest, holding him while he cried mumbling about his mother and how much it  _hurt_.

She knew that they had said they would do anything to win the war, but this was the most visceral instance of sacrifice they'd handled so far. She just hoped that it wouldn't break them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Still working through reviewer responses, but should get to them tonight! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Please let me know what you thought of chapter seven and be on the lookout for chapter eight soon!

Successfully retrieving the first horcrux had invigorated Hermione and Theo, reinforcing that they were actually doing the right thing. Hermione had nursed Theo through the night and the next morning he'd thanked her with watery eyes. She was sure that it had been difficult for him to be in such a compromising position, so helpless without her, but if anything it only made their budding relationship stronger. It was as if some of their insecurities, fears about what the other person would think of them, were stripped away. Theo knew that he could trust Hermione to look after him, but even more, not to hold his weaknesses against him afterwards.

They hid the horcrux in the basement with the veritaserum bubbling away. "We will need to talk about how to get rid of it, eventually," Hermione said with eyebrows drawn together in concern. They had used basilisk venom mostly, but maybe she and Theo could learn to master fiendfyre as well? "There are… options, but none of them very good."

Hermione grew to enjoy brewing alongside Theo. After the way that they had worked together in the cave, it seemed as if they brewed better than before. Theo always seemed to know when to step in, and Hermione no longer fretted or questioned him over his methods. They were efficient and smooth.

Efforts at home were further aided by the new house elf in their employ that Hermione had purchased with the help of Walburga Black. It had been nearly all Hermione could do to keep a straight face when she handed over the galleons to buy the poor creature, absolutely disgusted with herself that she was buying another living being, barely able to grasp at her promise to do anything to win this battle.

Purchasing Tilly was certainly a right step in the eyes of Walburga. "I am so glad that you've done this. I must say that Orion and I were a little concerned when we first met you...you and Theo just seemed so  _foreign_  and  _flighty_  and we were worried that you weren't really the right sort of family, if you catch my meaning," she said with her lips twisted into a mean sort of smile. "But, now I think you will fit in nicely with our circle."

"I'm glad that you feel that way," Hermione had said, disguising a grimace as a smile. "We just so wanted to make a good impression. London  _is_  so different from home for me."

"You must come to my family's holiday party. Absolutely  _everyone_  who is anyone will be there," she added, giving Hermione's shoulder a pat. "We can introduce you to all the right people."

Hermione had rushed home to Theo, with Tilly in tow, and told him about their invitation. "Do you think that  _he_  could be there?" she asked, feeling breathless. They had not heard any rumblings of the wizard who was either called Tom Riddle or Lord Voldemort since they had been in the past, but they also realized that they might not have made enough in roads to have had the  _privilege_.

"It's as good as a chance as any," Theo said, scratching at the slight five o'clock shadow on his face. He'd been practically locked into the basement while the veritaserum was in it's last stages. "Bet my father will be there, too."

She reached up, almost unthinkingly, to touch the slight stubble at his jaw line. "Would that be terrible?" she asked, eyes drawn to his lips. They had still not been intimate, but there was no more awkwardness when they touched one another, having grown comfortable with each other over the past months.

"I don't really fancy coming face to face with him," he admitted, his blue eyes flicking up to meet hers. "But it was inevitable. I've been mentally preparing for it."

She still did not know what had happened between Theo and his father, but she  _wanted_  to know desperately. Still, she couldn't find it in herself to just come out and ask him, too worried that it would be crossing an imagined line between them. She bit her lip. "When was the last time that you got out of the basement?" she asked, knowing how much he'd been working.

His cheeks flushed. "It's been a while, but…" he trailed off, before holding up a small vial with a dropper in it. "It's actually finished, finally. There is enough in here to last us at least a year or two. Do you want to go give it a try?"

Hermione had to admit that she was curious to see the fruits of their two months of labor and eagerly bounded up the stairs, asking Tilly nicely to make them tea. They sat at the dining room table, waiting for their drinks. Once they had been dropped off by the dutiful house elf, Theo administered barely an eighth of a drop into each cup. Then they each took a sip, waiting to see if anything happened.

Frowning, Hermione set her cup back down when she didn't feel any differently. "How do we know that it's worked?" she asked.

Theo rolled his eyes. "Did you ever have a crush on a Professor?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. I think everyone knew about Professor Lockhart," Hermione babbled away, completely against her will. "But I also had the biggest crush on Professor Lupin in third year. He was just so...so  _academic-"_ Before she could spill any more of her innermost secrets, she slapped a hand over her mouth, not wanting to embarrass herself further.

Her husband laughed at her. "Lupin? Really?" he asked, with his nose scrunched in amusement. "I better Potter and Weasley don't know about  _that_ ," he quipped.

Hermione shook her head, still not trusting herself to speak, but feeling impressed that she didn't just blurt out what she was thinking. "I've resisted answering that," she told him, feeling a rush of pride that it was working.

"That's good," he said in agreement. "Ask me something."

"Who was a better friend? Malfoy or Zabini?" she asked, cocking her head to one side, finding that she  _did_  have some curiosity about the dynamics in the Slytherin common room.

"Easy, that's Malfoy," he answered, before scowling at himself. "We should ask emotional answers, because those will be the hardest to block...but it was hard for me to stop from telling you the truth."

Hermione bit her lower lip, before asking a question that had been on her mind basically since they had come back, hoping that Theo wouldn't be too furious with her. "Were you a virgin when we were married?" she asked, her heart hammering against her chest.

Theo's lips were screwed together tightly while he struggled not to answer. It felt like an eternity before he  _finally_  looked her in the eyes again. "Yes, I was a virgin," he said quietly. A few beats of silence passed between them, before he let out a sigh of relief. "That was a lie."

She wasn't sure what to believe, but she was fairly sure he was telling her that she hadn't been his first. It took some pressure off of her, certainly. "Who was it?" she asked, unable to stop herself. She wasn't sure why she  _needed_  to know, but she did.

"Daphne Greengrass," Theo told her, clearly unable to help himself from answering her question. "That  _wasn't_  a lie," he added as an afterthought, looking more annoyed with himself for not being able to fight off the veritaserum, rather than being embarrassed.

Hermione wanted to ask more questions about it. Had Theo been in love with Daphne, a pretty blonde who seemed more concerned with looking good than doing well in school? They seemed too disparate of people to ever work together, but then again, didn't opposites attract? Did he still have lingering feelings for a Slytherin girl who hadn't even been born yet? It made her stomach twist with the possibilities, but it felt too intrusive to continue down that path with him, especially when he was so vulnerable.

"Well,  _you_  obviously weren't a virgin when we married," he said, without any tact, but not meaning to offend. "Who did you lose it with?"

She felt her mouth moving, but swallowed up the sound, wanting to stop herself from spilling the truth. "My first time was with Vik-Vik-Vik-" she stuttered, trying to get the lie out, but finding the truth telling potion difficult to overcome. The truth came spilling out. "It was with Harry. Ron left us while we were looking for horcruxes, and neither one of us wanted to die without  _knowing_  what it was like."

Her face flushed. It wasn't as if Hermione was embarrassed or regretted her time with Harry, but the way that it came out made it sound rather unromantic. Like she'd only been chosen because she was the only girl around, which she supposed was at least partly true.

Thankfully, Theo sensed her discomfort. "That's probably enough for tonight. We aren't going to build up a tolerance all in one night," he said, diplomatically. "We should both get some rest, if we are going to go and speak to McGonagall tomorrow."

Nodding, Hermione agreed with him. She needed to put a bit of distance between them.

* * *

It was odd going back to the Three Broomsticks and seeing it warm and cheerful once again. There were no children there as it was not a Hogsmeade weekend, but it was still close enough to Hogwarts to act as a good meeting spot with Minerva McGonagall, not yet Deputy Headmistress, over false pretenses. Hermione had written to ask about an area of Transfiguration research that Minerva had recently published about. The young witch had only been too happy to agree to meet and chat. Hermione waited in a booth with a half-drunk butterbeer while Theo waited up in the room that they had rented.

"Hello? Are you Mrs. Nott?" Minerva's familiar voice asked when she arrived at the table, looking far younger than Hermione could have ever imagined. Her hair was still a shocking jet black and her eyes were bright and green.

Hermione pulled her wand from under the table before the other witch even noticed, using the confundus charm against her. "Don't you want to come with me, Miss McGonagall?" Hermione asked softly, wrapping and arm around the other woman and guiding her up the stairs towards their rented room. Keeping her wand held at Minerva's waist, she knocked on the door in it's predetermined pattern.

The door swung open, revealing Theo inside. Once Minerva caught sight of the room's other occupant, the charm quickly began to fade as her thoughts became clearer. But Theo was ready. " _Expelliarmus! Petrificus totalus!"_ he cast in quick succession, easily catching the other woman's wand and giving Hermione a chance to lock and silence the room so that they wouldn't be disturbed.

Once that was handled, the pair worked to settle Minerva into a chair, securing her to it, before dropping the charm to hold her in place. Hermione looked into her wild green eyes and knew that she was panicking, so they would have to work quickly to get a hold of the situation. "We mean you no harm, Minerva," she said, hoping that her favorite teacher wouldn't hate her too much for kidnapping her. "But we needed you to listen to us. We are going to explain, but you need to calm down."

"We know that you are concerned about the man calling himself Lord Voldemort. You worry about what he means for the wizarding world, and we can tell you that your fears are correct," Theo said. "We have come from a future in which he has won and we are the wizarding world is left in ruins. We are not going to allow that future to come to pass."

"We were sent back with  _your_ assistance," Hermione said softly, seeing the terror that remained in the other witch's eyes, unable to imagine what was going through her head. "I am sure that you will have questions...you will want proof. I will lift the charm silencing you, but you must promise not to try and get free. I don't want to hurt you."

They waited a brief moment, seeing no change in Minerva's expression. Theo finally shrugged, seeming to say that they would have to lift it eventually. Minerva sputtered the moment that the spell was lifted, before regaining her composure. She was obviously frightened, but trying to project an air of being unafraid to her two captors. "How the hell am I supposed to believe that I helped send you back? How do you expect me believe such a preposterous story?" she demanded, finally.

"Your name is Minerva McGonagall. You were a hatstall between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor," Theo said first.

"That's simple - anyone who was at my sorting could have figured that out," Minerva countered.

"You were concussed in your final game of Quidditch against Slytherin, which allowed them to win the Quidditch Cup," Hermione said with a frown. "It's lead to your hatred of the Slytherin Quidditch team to this day."

Still, she did not look convinced. "After you left school, you were briefly engaged to a muggle," Theo said, knowing that they were quickly getting into territory that would be more difficult to have found out. "But you broke it off, as you hadn't told him you were a witch. You were concerned about repeating the same mistakes that your mother had."

" _Who_  told you that?" Minerva demanded, looking furious and confused. Obviously the fact had touched close to home. "Was it Robert?"

"Your mentored with Albus Dumbledore, who you fell in love with when he was your Transfiguration professor. You developed an unhealthy, inappropriate relationship with him. He never  _did_  anything to you, but he wasn't afraid to manipulate and hold your feelings against you," Hermione said, knowing that this would be quite difficult to face, but it was the one thing that future Minerva said would tip the balance for them. "Then you found out about his relationship with Gellert Grindelwald and you could never look at him the same way. Knowing that he could love such a monster meant that you could never  _fully_  trust Dumbledore again."

Minerva gaped at her for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "I've never told anyone that before," she said, so quietly, Theo and Hermione nearly couldn't hear the words. "How do you know about that?"

"Your future self told us. She thought your would need some convincing," Hermione said as gently as possible.

"Convincing for  _what_?" the witch asked, sounding defeated.

"We need you to help us," Theo explained. "We know that you are concerned about the way Dumbledore is handling Lord Voldemort, and we know that that is the reason why you have not joined the Order of the Phoenix. We are going to be working from a different angle...infiltrating the dark side to take him down. Dumbledore will never be able to do what we are going to, because he doesn't have the full picture and is held back by the idea of prophecy."

Minerva wet her lips, thinking over her next words carefully. "You are right. I want to do more to help, but...but I need to know who you are and...just what exactly are you asking me to do?"

Hermione laughed, realizing that they hadn't actually told her who they really were. "I'm Hermione Nott, and this is my husband Theo," she said with a start. "I'd love to share all the details with you, but before I do, I need an unbreakable vow that you won't go telling anyone about us or our meeting. We are putting ourselves into a position of great danger and we need to make certain assurances."

"Understood," Minerva said simply. "I'll make a vow."

"If we let you up out of the chair, you aren't going to try and escape, are you?" Theo asked, still looking skeptical of her.

"Only one way to find out," Minerva said with a frown.

Hermione released the binds holding her in place, then, and Minerva sprang up, looking wild and unsure of herself for a moment, looking as though she was actually going to try to get free. But, she quickly thought better of it when she realized that they held her wand. Even if she was incredibly proficient in wandless magic, it would have been a tough situation to get out of. Once she'd made up her mind, the Scottish witch held her arm out in offer.

Taking up her hand, Hermione let Theo walk them through the vow. He chose his words carefully, doing everything that he could to protect both her and himself. Minerva agreed to all of their terms. Once that was completed, Hermione suggested that they all sit down to talk about what was going to happen.

Neither of the time travelers were quite sure where they should begin, but once they had, the whole story came tumbling out. Minerva grew to be increasingly concerned when she heard that there were not only horcruxes, but multiple of them. "We should go the Aurors! Or...are you sure we can't tell Albus? The Order would be a great help," she asked desperately.

"No," Hermione insisted. "We promised each other, we promised  _you_ , that we would do anything that we could to make the future a better place, and the Order is never going to be able to do that. We work alone, with occasional assistance from you."

Minerva reluctantly agreed, knowing that she was bound by the terms of their oath not to do any more. They quickly made plans for her to get the Diadem out of Hogwarts and deliver it to them at her earliest convenience. "We would come with you, but we think it's best that we keep as much distance between us as possible," Theo explained. "We don't want anyone to make a connection between the three of us."

Once they were ready to leave, Hermione blushed apologizing for the heavy handed tactics they had used to get her to listen to them. "We just really needed to talk to you," she tried to explain, even though the apology fell flat. "But we did say we would do anything to win."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am excited for this one - we've got a bit of Theo POV in this chapter...or really, the whole chapter. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates, and answer questions.
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter eight and be on the lookout for chapter nine!

By the time that the Black's holiday party had rolled around, Hermione had not needed to ask Theo's advice in shopping for robes. Armed with knowledge she'd gleaned from a stack of fashion magazines (that he privately laughed about, thinking the content far too  _vapid_  for Hermione Granger to find any useful information in), she'd left him at home to go to Madam Malkin's all on her own. She'd been so confident that she would be able to pick something out that suited.

But now that she was standing in front of the mirror in their room, painstakingly analysing every curve and dip of her body, Theo could tell that her confidence had all but vanished. He watched as she adjusted her cleavage once again, biting at her lower lip threatening to ruin the nude lipstick on her full bottom lip.

Wanting to reassure her, he stepped up behind her in the mirror, wrapping his hands around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. "You look good," he told her, honestly. Fuck, she looked  _so much more_  than good, he questioned how he'd ended up married to her in the first place, before the harsh reality of their marriage came back to him.

 _Oh yes,_  he reminded himself,  _she married you because none of the other three could go with her_.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice wavering in a very un-Hermione like way. "Because it seems a lot more... _sexy_  than what I normally see women wearing and I don't want to commit some sort of horrible fashion faux-paux. I need to make friends with these women and-"

Theo cut her worrying off with a gentle kiss behind the ear. "If the other women there make a fuss, it's only because their husbands can't keep their eyes off of you, and they are jealous," he promised. "Besides, there is more than one way to skin a cat. We just need to make better in roads with these people...you're  _sexiness_  could be an asset."

That was the closest Theo had ever come to just saying that he found her sexy, but it still felt like he'd revealed too much of himself. While they had practiced touching one another to give the better appearance of being a couple, there was no true intimacy between himself and the former Gryffindor. Still, he found himself craving it, longing to have her again. Their first and only time and been rushed and uncomfortable and he wanted to show her that he was a better lover in the hopes of having beginning a sexual relationship with her. He didn't know if he could go the rest of his life without having sex again.

Worst still, he found himself genuinely enjoying Hermione as a person. They practiced occlumency and fighting off veritaserum, asking horridly personal questions of each other, until it felt as if there was nothing secret between them. Hermione had never judged him and he found himself drawn to her more and more. When she would smile or when he would catch her face relaxed in sleep if he should wake up before him, Theo's heart nearly threatened to beat right out of his chest.

Having decided that he'd done more than enough introspection for the night, Theo knew that they had to leave. "We should go," he said gently, releasing Hermione from his hold, immediately missing her body pressed back against his chest. "Fashionably late is one thing, but at some point it just becomes rude."

Helping her through the floo, Theo was unsurprised to find the party in full swing. Walburga spotted them easily, and greeted Hermione warmly, before insisting on introducing them to the hosts. "This is Arcturus and his wife Melania - Orion's parents," she explained with pride. "May I present to you the Notts - Theodore and his wife Hermione."

"It's wonderful to meet you. Thank you for having us to celebrate Yule," Hermione said with a pleasing smile. "I was worried that we wouldn't have found anyone to share the holiday with when we decided to move to London this summer."

There was a time when Theo would have shuddered at the idea of having a wife, but now he found himself proud to have Hermione on his arm. She had learned all the customs of the holidays that the purebloods celebrated, mostly from his experience, but with additional books as resources. There was no way that anyone would guess that she hadn't been brought up in the old way, and she'd only been studying for a few months.

Hermione was describing how they had met with Theo adding in a detail or two every now and again when they were approached by another couple.

"Cygnus Black," the blond man introduced himself. "And my wife Druella. You must be the Notts. My sister has told us so much about you."

They had both spent enough time studying the Black family tree to know that this was Walburga's brother...and the father of Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa. Definitely someone that they would want to keep an eye on.

"I had wondered why a wizard would have to go all the way to Hong Kong to find a suitable witch to marry," Cygnus said casually, making no secret that he was  _appreciating_  Hermione's body. "But now that I've laid eyes on this enchanting creature, I can see what the appeal is, Nott," he added with a laugh, clapping Theo on the shoulder.

He was reminded of his time at Hogwarts, when a Durmstrang boy had wondered how he'd managed to get a date at all, let alone one as pretty as Mandy Brocklehurst. It did not sound like much of a compliment at all to Theo's ears.

Luckily, he was saved from answering when a house elf brought around a tray of champagne glasses. Collecting a coupe glass for each of them, he handed one over to Hermione, who looked similarly glad to have the distraction. Knowing that he could not afford to make an enemy of this man, Theo raised his glass and made a toast to the Black family - one that was well received.

"Come, let me introduce you to some other people," Cygnus insisted, before leaning in conspiratorially. "Leave these ancients to their own conversation."

He lead them directly towards a circle of men who were huddled near one of the several fireplaces in the ballroom. "Hermione and Theodore Nott, gentlemen," he said presenting the young couple to them. "This is Rodolphus Lestrange my son-in-law and Lucius Malfoy my soon to be son-in-law, Lucius's father Abraxas, my brother-in-law Evan Rosier, and Alfred Nott."

"You are certainly well connected, Cygnus," Hermione quipped, getting a chuckle from all the men save one - Theo's father.

He'd been mentally preparing himself for the day that he'd cross paths with Alfred Nott, but nothing could have prepared him for the actual event. Those hard brown eyes made no secret that he did not approve of Hermione  _or_  Theo. "Theodore, was it?" he asked, his sneer partially concealed by a mustache that was still more brown than grey at this point in time. "How exactly did you come across the name Nott? I can't say I remember your name on my family tapestry."

"Please call me Theo," he answered graciously, trying to ignore the snub. "We share a great-grandfather if I recall correctly. My grandfather was George and my father is Edward. Perhaps you need to go back and look at the tree another time."

Not wanting to be embarrassed for not knowing his own family lineage, Alfred tried to pivot the conversation. "Orion told me that you might have my pocket watch," he said with a frown. "He was concerned enough that he encouraged me to check that mine hadn't been stolen and replaced."

"And then you determined that it wasn't?" Theo asked with amusement. He pulled out his own pocket watch and showed it to the man. "As you can see, I've got mine right here. Given to me by my father when I turned seventeen," he explained. He was grateful that Hermione had thought ahead, knowing the pocket watch could have been a tricky mistake. On one of their few excursions into the muggle world (Theo was embarrassed to admit that he was always frightened on them), they had purchased a pocket watch that had a passing similarity to the watch he had tucked away in his drawers.

It was Evan Rosier who laughed, breaking the tension that had settled on the party. "I told you that Orion was too paranoid for his own good!" he said with a laugh, giving Alfred a playful shove. "It looks similar enough, but it's certainly not  _your_  watch, Alfie."

"Yes, let's talk about something else," Cygnus encouraged. "We don't want to frighten Hermione and Theo away with your interrogation techniques."

Clearly not enjoying being called out, Alfred barely made his excuses before leaving the group conversation, a thunderous look on his face.

"I do not think that he liked us very much, Theo," Hermione said, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze, not realizing just how much he needed it in that moment. He knew that his father never really cared for him, but it did not make the looks any easier.

Still, it broke the tension with the rest of the assembled men, who chuckled. "You mustn't worry about Alfie," Rosier said with a sly grin. "He's always been a miserable fusspot, even when we were all at Hogwarts. Isn't that right, Abraxas?"

Malfoy agreed, basically the first thing that he'd said all night.

Theo took note of Hermione's empty glass and took it from her. "It looks as if you could use another drink, darling," he said, his hand dropping from the small of her back, determined to get a bit of air and time to think. "Will you be okay here?" he questioned, knowing that Hermione was more than capable of talking to the guys, but wanting to make sure that she was comfortable being left on her own.

"I'll be fine, just hurry back to me," she said, giving him a smile that was even reflected in her big, brown eyes.

"We will take good care of your wife, Nott. Promise," Rodolphus Lestrange said with a shark-like grin on his face and did nothing to ease Theo's discomfort at leaving Hermione alone. He knew that she needed to charm them, but it didn't mean that his stomach didn't churn with something like jealousy when he saw the way Lestrange looked at her.

Theo wandered away, stepping out into the courtyard, letting the chilly air fill his lungs, wanting nothing more than to let the facade drop for just a moment. He had never wanted this kind of life, even when he was in school - everyone so full of themselves and thinking that they were  _better_  than everyone else, solely because of who their parents were. Theo had no illusions that he was better than anyone else.

It was not long before a house elf came out to see if he needed anything and he sent it away to the kitchens to get a whole bottle of champagne. Not even bothering to drink it out of his glass, he raised the bottle to his lips, letting the carbonation fill his stomach and make his mind feel floaty and warm, enjoying the moment of solitude.

His eyes narrowed when he saw a person walking back in from the gardens towards the party, trying to make out who it was. To his surprise, it was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. Making a snap decision, Theo stood abruptly. If Hermione could charm the men in the party, there was no reason that  _he_  couldn't charm Bellatrix. After all, according to his wife, Bellatrix was the key to getting Hufflepuff's Cup.

"You're Bellatrix, right?" he asked, startling the scowling woman. "What were you doing all the way out there in the gardens?"

She looked cross, and did not return his friendly greeting. "Who are  _you_?" she demanded, her hand clenching near at her side, clearly trying to stop herself from reaching for her wand.

"Sorry. I'm Theo Nott," he answered, feeling off-kilter. Perhaps approaching Bellatrix without a plan in mind was not the best idea.

Her dark, dangerous eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, I've heard about  _you_  before and your little wife from my Aunt Walburga," she said with a smirk. "Sounds like your wife is incredibly useless from all the things that she's had to ask my Aunt about. Don't know why you'd marry a witch like her."

Theo wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to disparage Hermione, but he wanted to develop a rapport with the other witch at the same time. "London is brand new to both of us," he said finally with a shrug. "I'm glad Hermione has had someone to guide her."

Bellatrix sneered, her lips pulling back to show her teeth, clearly not finding his explanation very good. "I suppose  _someone_  has to do it," she said finally, before holding out her hand, practically demanding the champagne bottle.

He handed it over. "So you never told me what you were doing out here in the cold," he pressed, wondering why she'd left the party to begin with. Pulling out his wand, he cast a warming charm on each of them.

"I couldn't stand to be around my  _husband_  for another moment," she said with a frown. "He paws at me enough at home, and the only reason that I agreed to come was because he said that the Dark Lord might be here," she explained, her face lighting up for the first time since he'd spoken to her.

"The Dark Lord?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Lord Voldemort - he's the most brilliant wizard. He's got  _real_ plans for the wizarding world. He's going to put those mudbloods and muggles in their place," she said breathless, her chest heaving with excitement. "In the dirt where they belong."

Theo was barely able to keep his face neutral from hearing the way that she talked about him. It was clear that her feelings for the Dark Lord went  _much_ deeper than that of just admiration. "That does sound like an admirable plan," he lied through his teeth. "I would like to hear more about this Lord Voldemort."

"I could maybe tell him about you, if you wanted," Bellatrix said, eyeing him up, as if trying to gauge his commitment. "But he isn't someone to be trifled with. He doesn't really care to work with people who are only half in."

He watched as she took another swig from the now nearly empty champagne bottle, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to come off as too eager - that might tip Bellatrix that he  _was_  up to something. But he didn't want to seem insincere either. Instead, he just decided to remain silent, looking at her.

"You haven't told me what you were doing out here, yourself," she said after a few beats of silence had passed. "Trouble in paradise?" she questioned.

Theo startled, wondering how she would have gotten that idea. "No," he insisted. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, it would just explain why you left your wife all alone to be pawed at by that group of dirty old men," she said with a mean little twist of her mouth. "And it would explain why you are trying to make a pass at me," she explained.

He baulked, but he did look when she lifted the curtain to show him back inside the party once again. Hermione stood out, radiant in her black dress, surrounded by the men he'd left her with. It looked as if they were enjoying her company a little bit too much, but he didn't know what to do.

"My father is a terrible philanderer," Bellatrix said, amusement in her voice when she watched him touch Hermione's arm affectionately. "Has been his whole life, I'm afraid. If you want your wife to be faithful, I'd make sure that you don't leave her alone with him. Looks like she might just be enjoying it a little too much herself."

Theo nearly choked, but shook his head. "Hermione is just...she was excited to be invited to the party," he explained. "We don't have many friends yet in London, and she wanted to impress people."

"Well with  _that_  dress, it might have worked a little too well," Bellatrix answered once again. "Go on - go rescue your  _stupid_  wife, before they get her to do something she regrets," she advised, in a rare moment of compassion. Theo did not think that would happen again.

Taking her words to heart, Theo slipped back into the party, grabbing two fresh glasses of champagne, eager to stand by Hermione's side once again.

Hermione happily took the glass from him. "There you are," she said, genuinely happy to see him again. "I was thinking of sending a search party out for you. Your hands are freezing," she added when he wrapped his arm around her waist, projecting his ownership of her to the other men. He knew that he didn't really  _own_ Hermione, but they certainly didn't know that.

"Just went for a breath of fresh air," he explained, but didn't elaborate on. "Well, gentlemen, thank you for watching after her while I was gone, but I am afraid that we've monopolized far too much of your time. I believe that I promised Hermione some dances."

"Oh, we would be happy to watch over her anytime you need, Theo," Cygnus responded, looking a bit disappointed when he lead Hermione away from their circle.

Hermione chugged down the champagne and wrapped her arms around his neck when Theo lead her to the dance floor. "Thank you for saving me. They were insufferable and if I caught Rosier trying to look down my dress one more time I would have hexed him," she told him. "Do we have to stay much longer?"

"No, just a few dances," Theo promised. "Then we will go home." He wondered when the townhouse had become home, but he knew that Hermione had something to do with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! Apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out to y'all - I find myself doing that a lot lately :/ I try really hard to keep a regular update schedule, but basically, I've had a lot of things going on IRL lately, and it's been difficult to find the time to write. I will try to get back on schedule soon! I do have the whole story plotted out, so no worries about writer's block, here, it's just finding the time to sit down and focus. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter nine and be on the lookout for chapter ten soon!

They hadn't been sure if Minerva McGonagall was going to show up, but they had sent the illegal portkey that Theo had created anyway. Hermione had fretted the whole time, worrying about what her former professor might do with all the information that they had given her.

"Maybe we should have glamoured ourselves," she said, waiting in the parlor with Theo for their guest, biting at her lower lip. It had only been a few days since the holiday party that Walburga had invited them to. They had rung in the New Year quietly with one another, but Hermione felt wildly out of balance. "Or given her fake names. Who knows what she's telling the Ministry, or even Dumbledore?"

Theo sat on the couch next to her and took his hand into his much larger ones, bringing it up to his lips to press a gentle kiss. Hermione didn't know what she would have done  _without_  Theo in this time with her, as he acted as such a stabilizing force. Otherwise, she was certain that she would have gone mad from the stress months ago. "We have to trust that the Minerva who sent us knows what she was doing," he said.

Hermione felt some of the tension she'd been holding in her shoulders melt away, enjoying the little bit of affection that Theo was giving her. It was nice to have someone to lean on. "I know, I just...I worry," she explained, knowing he would understand where she was coming from. "She has the unbreakable vow, too. It just feels like everything is so precarious right now. I'm always worried that someone is going to figure us out."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, none of the people at the party were aware that there was a muggleborn in their midst," he teased.

She flushed under his praise, thinking it was rather an odd thing to be complimented on, but she was glad to have her efforts recognized nonetheless. Pureblood culture was a complicated tapestry of traditions and she was proud of the work she'd done to unravel it and learn it, especially considering that her life depended on it.

They didn't have much more time to discuss it as Minerva was popping into their parlor not a moment later, looking flustered and confused. Hermione stood to greet their guest. "Thank you for coming, Minerva," she said, before calling for their house elf. "Tilly, please bring us our tea service."

"I do not appreciate being brought to unknown locations," Minerva said with a frown, but happily taking an offered teacup when it was poured for her moments later.

"Apologies, but that is the way it has to be done," Theo explained, taking his own tea with one sugar. "If you don't know where we live, you can't accidentally give it away. I don't know if you understand the... _difficult_  position that Hermione and I are in. If Dumbledore  _or_  any of the Death Eaters knew that we were speaking to one another, it would cause questions that we might not be able to answer. It's as much for your safety as it is for ours."

"It doesn't feel very safe to me to be meeting somewhere  _unknown_  with people I've only met once before without telling anyone where I'm going," MInerva said sternly, clearly not enjoying the way that they'd sort of  _commanded_  her presence.

"You didn't tell anyone you were meeting us?" Hermione practically demanded, feeling her heart beating faster in her chest at the thought that Dumbledore might try to interfere with their plans.

"No," Minerva reassured her, rolling her eyes nonetheless. "Though I had half a mind to after what you've dragged me into."

"It's for the good of the world," Hermione said, even though she knew that it was hard to believe that now. Not when they'd asked her to steal a previously lost piece of history. "Did you bring the Diadem?" she pressed, needing to know that it was safe. It wouldn't do to have a whole other horcrux to find.

Reaching into her pocket, Minerva pulled out the pretty tiara, using her wand to levitate it over onto the table in front of Hermione and Theo. "Yes, and I wouldn't recommend handling it too much. It is truly  _defiled_  with dark magic. It's like a snake trying to slither into you mind to whisper all sorts of horrid secrets to you."

Hermione knew the feeling all to well, remembering what it was like to have the locket around her neck for hours at a time when she was on the run with Harry and Ron the year before. The worst was knowing all the moments of weakness where she'd almost given in to the whispers. "We have somewhere to keep it safe," she told the other witch, thinking of the small charmed cabinet that she and Theo had worked on the in the basement. "Until it can be destroyed."

"And how will you destroy it?" Minerva questioned, her mouth in a tight line, clearly uncomfortable with handing over something so dangerous without a real solid plan.

Theo returned her look of concern. "That might be best to discuss over your summer break," he said, dismissing her concern. In reality, Theo and Hermione had not yet agreed on the best way to destroy the horcruxes. Hermione wanted to sneak a rooster into Hogwarts to kill the basilisk and harvest it's venom. Theo was skeptical of her ability to replicate the sounds of parseltongue and would rather put his efforts into learning fiendfyre as quickly as possibly. Additionally, they had no idea if Voldemort was capable of feeling when his horcruxes were destroyed.

Seeing the concerned look on Minerva's face, Hermione sought to reassure her. "Just know that we have a plan in place, and you will be consulted when we get further along," she promised, knowing that it would do little to assuage the other woman's curiosity. Taking a dainty sip from her tea cup, she pressed Minerva for more information. "So, what has Dumbledore been telling the Order? What plans are in place? We wouldn't want to interfere."

"There has been nothing, no plans, just an update from Alastor about the recent disappearances," Minerva said with a frown, thinking back through everything that had been discussed. "Everyone is  _concerned_ , of course, but no one seems to know what steps to take."

Hermione frowned hearing that. "There's been no increase in monitoring of the muggleborn students families? Or sympathizers?" she asked, knowing about the  _entire_  families that would be killed in the coming years.

"No, but if you know something that's going to happen, I must  _insist_  that you you tell me what it is, so that we can protect them," Minerva responded, looking furious.

"I'm sorry," Hermione told her shaking her head. "I'm afraid I don't know any specifics, just that muggleborn students and their families will be increasingly larger targets the longer this war goes on. The Order would do well to think about what needs to be done to protect them."

Perhaps sensing that this was as far as they were going to get in their conversation that day, Theo stood up quickly. "Well, I think that will be all for today, Minerva," he said diplomatically, before handing her an odd looking paperweight that would serve as her portkey back home. "We will be in touch for our next steps shortly."

Minerva looked as if she wanted to stay and argue for a bit longer, but she took the paperweight from Theo's outstretched hand and within seconds she was gone.

Before the couple could decompress about what had happened, Tilly was ushering them into the dining room for their dinners. Hermione happily took the poured wine, drinking half of her glass as soon as she sat down. "Well, that went well," she comment, feeling rather pessimistic.

"Look at the positives, Hermione. We got another horcrux," Theo said with a smirk. "Just because everything didn't go perfectly doesn't mean that it was a total failure. We should start making plans to go after the ring next. It's the last unattended horcrux."

Hermione made a small noise of agreement, knowing that Theo  _was_  right. It was a very big positive that they had secured the Diadem without fuss or notice. "It's just so like the Order," she said, unable to shake the frown from her face. "They think they are protecting people without even trying to do the most basic due diligence for them. Dumbledore was willing to sacrifice small people for  _the greater good_."

Theo was quiet for a few beats while he thought over his words. "Perhaps if you compiled a list of what you knew, we could try to keep an eye on them?" he suggested gently, knowing that Hermione was obviously upset about it.

"No," Hermione decided, shaking her head. "We are only two people and it will be took much work for the two of us. Besides, we are really here to handle the horcruxes and Voldemort. Hopefully we can take care of all of … that before more people are killed."

She was not very hopeful. It wasn't as if they could prevent every death that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were responsible for. It just wasn't realistic, even if she would have memorized every single detail that she'd been able to. Instead, it was better for the two of them to discuss getting the ring - the last horcrux that could be seen as  _easy_  pickings. The Diary and the Cup would prove to be quite difficult.

They spent the remainder of their dinner discussing where it could possibly be. Hermione had no idea because Dumbledore had gotten it the first time, but Theo was full of information about the way that ancestral family homes worked, as it was unlikely the Gaunts would have strayed far from theirs. He explained to her how they would have held onto their home even over their last penny, due to the way the house would meld with the family's blood magic over the centuries.

The pair remained sitting at the table long after Tilly had cleared their plates, Theo playing with the rim of his glass. "You have something on your mind," she said, after a beat, sensing that he wasn't going to get there if she hadn't pushed him.

Theo cleared his throat, keeping his eyes down. A bit of pink began to form on his cheeks. "I think that we should...try to conceive an heir," he said, struggling to get the words out.

Out of everything that Hermione had expected to hear, that hadn't been it. "Conceive an heir? How sexy," she questioned with a snort. "Is that the kind of romancing that all pureblood women can expect?" she teased him further, thinking that he had made it sound as awkward and unappealing as possible.

His blue eyes snapped up to meet hers, looking aghast. "I'm being serious, Hermione. Any pureblood couple of our age would have one concern, and that would be securing the future of their family line. It's perfectly reasonable, and you promised that you would do everything you could to blend in," he said, his blush only growing darker under the scrutiny of her gaze. "And, it would probably help you have something to discuss with the other wives."

Hermione couldn't stop the smirk from showing on her face. "Well, when you make such a compelling argument, Theo, I can't really argue with you," she conceded, her mind churning over the possibilities. "Except..." she trailed off, knowing that  _she_  certainly hadn't grown immune to all the touches and light kisses that she shared with her husband. Was it as simple as Theo wanting more intimacy with her? "Except, if you just wanted to have sex again, you could have just asked."

"Hermione, I-" Theo sputtered at her forwardness. "It's not just...I still think that an heir is important," he explained, unsure of how best to broach the subject with her without offending her. He also seemed to be struggling to decide just how truthful to really be with her. "But I would be lying if I said that it wasn't a part of it, too."

"It's okay," she answered with a genuine smile. "I want to, too."

Neither one of them spoke for several beats, staring across the table, each one too afraid to move first. But finally, Hermione had to gather her Gryffindor courage and stand. She made her way around the table, until she was standing in front of Theo. Offering him her hand, she was glad that she only had to wait a few moments before he took it. He stood to face her, pushing his chair behind him, and suddenly Hermione was having to look up at him as usual.

It wasn't so much that one of them moved to kiss the other first; instead, they came together, meeting each other halfway in a kiss that quickly became more heated. Hermione felt herself melting against him, enjoying the press of his strong arms coming to hold her more tightly against him. But, things quickly grew out of control, and she was pulling away then, gasping for breath. "I think we should take this upstairs. I can't imagine how scandalized Tilly would be if she found you fucking me on the dining room table," she said, rubbing up against him, feeling the hardness of his cock pressing into her belly.

Theo practically choked at how forward her words were, but did not need to be told twice. Taking her by the hand once again, he lead her up the stairs to their room. Hermione giggled, following behind him eagerly, every time he grumbled about all the stories in their townhome.

By the time they had made it into the privacy of their own bedroom, it was Hermione's turn to grumble over how restrictive formal robes were. She might have been wearing them for several months, but the rows of buttons were still a source of annoyance when compared to how quickly you could pull a jumper over your head. Luckily, she had Theo's more practiced hands to assist her, and before long, she was down to just her underclothes.

They came together once again, Hermione loving the feel of his bare skin against hers. She kissed him again, letting him guide her back towards the bed, until she was tumbling backwards and bringing her husband with her. Pressed against the luxurious bedding, the mood shifted. She became less giddy and excited and more serious, feeling her heart stutter when Theo pulled back to stare at her body, memorize every dip with his lust-blown eyes, not bothering to hide how much he wanted her in that moment.

His hands were confident when he moved to cup her breast through the material of her bra, making her arch into him, letting his greedy kisses swallow up the moan that she didn't want to hide. Theo was certainly not immune to her either, his breathing speeding up when she wrapped a leg around his legs to hold him closer against her center.

It was different from the night that they had consummated their marriage. That night, Hermione had just wanted things to be over with as quickly as possible, certain that she was some kind of terrible burden on the quiet Slytherin who had agreed to come back in time with her. Now, it was clear that something more than just obligation had grown between the two of them. She didn't want things to be over as soon as they could, instead, she wanted to remain in his tender embrace the entire night, and then again the next day and the next.

When his hands slid down the planes of her body to remove her knickers, Hermione arched her back to free herself from her bra, wanting to feel absolutely nothing between them at all. Theo pressed hot kisses against the column of her neck, while his clever fingers found her center. Hermione did not need any coaxing, but he quickly worked her into a fever pitch, until she was moaning, rocking into him, desperate for more.

"Please, Theo," she said with a whine, seeming to snap him back into the purpose of their coupling. He freed himself, eagerly, hands nearly shaking when he grabbed hold of his cock and pressed it at her entrance. It had been so dark the last time they'd been together and Hermione hadn't been able to appreciate the good looks of the man she'd taken as her husband. Once again, she was left wondering how he'd hidden under the radar for so long.

It had been too long for both of them, that when he was finally inside her, neither one of them had the patience for a slow build up. Instead, they quickly found a rhythm with one another, working together to find ecstacy together. Hips pistoning together, Hermione could do little more than cling to him, feeling that familiar coil in her belly tighten with every thrust of his cock inside her - hitting her in  _just_  the right way.

When the coil finally snapped and Hermione was pushed over the edge into orgasm, she cried out his name, eyes shut tight so that she could just focus on the feeling. Feeling her coming around him, Theo's thrusts grew erratic and desperate, until he was following her over, his face pressed in the crook of her neck while he came back down.

Neither one of them spoke when they were finally recovered, and Theo rolled off of her, only to pull her against his chest once again. Hermione rested her hand on his chest, her fingers tracing lazy patterns against his cooling skin while his heart rate returned to normal. She wondered what took them so long to do that again, especially considering how lacklustre their first encounter had been. But, in the end, she supposed that didn't matter...she just hoped that he would want to do it again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I will begin writing reviewer responses after I post this chapter :) Just know I appreciate all of them and I am so glad you are enjoying this. I am super excited about this chapter, so I will just get to it without too much rambling. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter ten and be on the lookout for chapter eleven soon!

Winter quickly faded into spring and Hermione was left feeling restless and useless. After they had successfully collected the first two horcruxes, she and Theo had discussed the remaining three, knowing that they were going to be difficult to obtain. They figured that getting the ring that had belonged to Salazar Slytherin would be the easiest to retrieve, given that no one was actively watching it. The Diary that had belonged to a teenaged Tom Riddle would be the next easiest, having been in Lucius Malfoy's possession somewhere in Malfoy Manor.

Theo was confident that they would be invited there more and more now that some of his evenings were spent with Lucius and some of the other men he'd met at the New Years party, smoking cigars and talking about various bullshit topics. Hermione always secretly enjoyed those evenings, when Theo would come back a little drunk and slip in bed beside her. He'd hold her with her back pressed against his chest and fuck her a bit  _harder_  than he would normally, his face pressed into her shoulder while his hands ran all over her body. It always left her well satisfied, but Hermione knew that he was always a bit embarrassed come morning.

He assumed that they would have time to begin exploring Malfoy Manor as they'd been promised an invitation to Lucius and Narcissa's wedding coming up in the summer, to be held at the impressive manor. There would be so many guests that Theo was certain they would have time to slip away and do a bit of searching for the horcrux.

Obtaining Hufflepuff's Cup, which was nestled away in the Lestrange vault for safekeeping by Bellatrix Lestrang would be the most difficult to get. Whenever Hermione would get too antsy, Theo would remind her that they still had years to plan for that extraction. He promised that the way she'd obtained it originally had been brilliant, if poorly executed. Surely with a bit of foresight, they might be able to try something similar.

The difficulties of getting the horcruxes left the young couple with far more free time than Hermione was used to, especially having no job to entertain her mind during the day. Although it seemed nearly blasphemous to say, there was only so much time that Hermione could spend reading. Having tea with Walburga was quickly becoming stale and boring, especially with Sirius and Regulus away at school, and she didn't think that she could spend another second twiddling her fingers.

Theo fared somewhat better, having been better equipped with hobbies that could keep him busy for hours at a time. Hermione was somewhat  _surprised_ to learn of her husband's talent at oil painting. He was a bit embarrassed the first time that she'd stumbled upon him, but he was blushingly proud when she complimented his work. It seemed unfair that he should be quiet as talented as he was. He encouraged her to find something to do herself - perhaps she could write under a pseudonym, he suggested - but Hermione was itching with the need to keep pushing forward in the task that they were sent back to do.

Determined to locate where the Gaunt family property, Hermione threw herself into finding everything she could about the way that familial manors worked in the UK, even going so far as to ask Walburga one afternoon. Sirius's mother, whose portrait had been so fond of calling her mudblood, looked surprised at her question, but answered that they were tightly regulated by the Ministry. Orion had stopped her the next time she visited, eyebrows furrowed while he tried to figure out her reasoning for asking. She'd had to think on her feet and explained it away as wondering what happened when a cadet branch of an old family came back, such as she and Theo had. She hoped that it assuaged the other man's fears, but she feared it would only make Alfred Nott hate them more than he already seemed to.

In the end, though, it seemed that all property records of this kind were tightly managed by the MInistry, hidden under lock and key. Because so much of a family's power and magic could be tied into these ancestral lands, it was incredibly important to keep the information as private as possible to prevent warring between the families. Hermione wished she had known about that long ago, and she wondered if the Weasleys had been aware of it, or even Sirius. It seemed like it could have been significantly useful in their war.

She had found out that it would be next to impossible to get into the Ministries archives to investigate the Gaunt family, and even less likely that she should be able to achieve it without detection. She did not simply need a visitors pass to comb through the documents to her heart's content. Instead, it would be tricky, and she was almost certain that she would need to gain employment at the Offices of Magical Property Rights.

Not as  _herself_  of course.

So that was how Hermione found herself sitting alone at the window of a teahouse in Diagon Alley, watching for the Director of that Department, as she'd done every day for the past two weeks, a book left forgotten at her table while her eyes scanned the crowds of witches and wizards. The lunch rush would be beginning soon.

She was so absorbed in her task that she barely even noticed someone walk up to her table, until a horrifyingly familiar voice broke the random hum of the teacup against saucer, spoon against porcelain. "You're Hermione Nott, aren't you?" the woman asked, looking down at her from her higher vantage point.

Hermione turned and was unsurprised to see the much younger, much more beautiful Bellatrix Lestrange standing before her. Her thick black hair was loose, but in elegant waves, unlike the tangled mass she'd worn after Hogwarts. She still had all her teeth and, while they were not perfect, they didn't resemble the tangled, yellow mess that haunted Hermione's dreams. Hermione could still distinctly remember the way that Bellatrix had held her down while Bellatrix had tortured her in Malfoy Manor...the way that her throat headache from screaming...the taste of bile in her mouth.

Cursing herself for getting so lost in thought that she'd allowed a witch as dangerous as Bellatrix Lestrange to sneak up behind her - she could practically  _hear_  Mad-Eye Moody shouting  _constant vigilance_  ringing in her ears - Hermione plastered a fake smile on her face, not going out of her way to be over eager with the other witch. "Yes, I'm Hermione," she agreed, taking her time to look Bellatrix up and down. "But I'm afraid I am at a disadvantage. I don't know your name."

"Bellatrix Lestrange," she said with a smirk and a flourish, clearly knowing that her name should precede her. "I had the pleasure of meeting your husband in the gardens at the holiday party my Uncle threw."

"Oh," Hermione agreed, wondering if Bellatrix thought that she should be bothered to know that Theo had spoken with another witch. It wasn't as if she had some sort of  _claim_  over him (well, aside from a false marriage), but she trusted him. And in any case, surely it would have been little more than a passing word or two. "I also had the...pleasure of meeting your husband at the party as well."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Bellatrix said with a smirk. "He's always been the most flirtatious  _brute_  and he's never quite learned to keep his hands to himself, but he's the man my father picked for me, so what more can I ask for."

Hermione felt a tiny laugh bubble up in her throat, glad to have the other witch break some of the tension. It was good to know that at least they could share one opinion on how rude they both found Rodolphus to be. Hermione still couldn't believe how brazenly he'd acted towards her at the party, in front of his father-in-law. "I am not sure if I should be comforted or not to learn that his attitude for me was not unique," she answered finally, surprised by how much she was able to relax around the other witch.

"Surely, you should be comforted. You can't even imagine the terrible lines he might have tried had you been alone," Bellatrix quipped with a mean smirk.

Biting her lip, Hermione hoped that she was about to make the right choice. "I find myself wondering how I did not meet you at the party. If I am honest, I find your company exceedingly more tolerable than your husband's," she confessed, knowing that it  _was_  the truth. "Would you care to join me? I was just about to order a second pot of tea," she asked, gesturing towards the open chair.

Bellatrix cocked her head to the side for a moment, taking her time to study Hermione's face, before pulling out the chair next to her and sliding into it. Once she was comfortably seated, Hermione called for the woman who worked at the counter, demanding a fresh pot of tea, being sure to be as snotty as possible with a thin veneer of politeness on top. The other witch seemed to be impressed with the way that she'd handled the  _help_.

Once they each had a steaming cup in front of them, Bellatrix spoke again. "I am also sorry that we didn't cross paths at the party," Bellatrix revealed finally. "I was far too preoccupied looking for a particular guest, but to my disappointment he did not show up. Your husband found me when I was in  _such_  a snit. I am sure that he finds me just as rude as my husband."

"I somehow doubt that Madame Lestrange," Hermione reassured the other woman, her mind turning over on itself when she realized that Bellatrix meant the Dark Lord. She couldn't just come out and ask about him, but she hoped that the dark-haired witch might eventually open up, with the right amount of care. "Theo found your husband's advances to be thoroughly irritating as well. But then again, he's always been rather jealous."

The other witch dropped one square of sugar into her tea and stirred with her spoon, apparently completely unbothered by the clanking of the metal against the edge of the cup. "And was your marriage a product of your father's choosing as well?" Bellatrix asked.

Hermione shook her head, unsure of the best way to answer. "No, Theo was one decision that I made completely on my own. But, I suppose it wouldn't be untrue to say that part of the reason he appealed to me was the prospect of moving to London," she explained, not wanting the other woman to get the idea that she and Theo were a love match. While they may have grown fond of one another in the months they'd been in the past, she did not think that star-crossed lovers was a lie that they would be able to keep up. "Hong Kong has its charms, of course, but it's nothing like here."

"And your father just gave you what he wanted? You must tell me your secrets," Bellatrix murmured, taking a sip of tea to hide her smirk.

For once, Hermione let herself remember the very real feelings that she still had for her parents, even though they were now separated by time  _and_  magic. "Yes, daddy always found me rather headstrong. He couldn't say no to me," she explained, her eyes going into a far off place. "He never seemed to know  _what_  to do with me, so he just spoiled me."

"Ugh, that's my younger sister, Narcissa," Bellatrix said, rolling her eyes, but not hiding the genuine affection that she obviously felt for her sister. "Cissy has always had father wrapped around her little finger. I'm the pushy daughter that he finds himself having to  _deal_  with."

Unsure of what to say, Hermione found her fingers tracing against the cursed scar that Bellatrix had given her on the floor at Malfoy Manor, just above the crease in her elbow. Even now, when they were just chatting about inane things, Hermione could not forget how dangerous Bellatrix truly was, and she thought that Cygnus Black must be a fool if he dared tried to control his daughter.

"What's that?" Bellatrix asked, her eyes drawn to the raised pink scar that would never quite heal, her dark eyes sparkling in a sinister sort of curiosity. "Are you injured?"

Hermione tugged down at the hem of her robes, covering it up. "Oh,  _that_ ," she dismissed, hoping to assuage Bellatrix's interest in the subject all together. "It's just a little souvenir from my boarding school days. Just a bit of hazing between girls."

Bellatrix nodded in understanding as though she knew exactly what Hermione meant. The Gryffindor suddenly found herself wondering just what the Slytherin girls did to one another down in the dungeons.

Before they could talk much more of it, Hermione caught sight of chartreuse colored robes and knew that it was the Ministry official that she'd been waiting for all along, one arm wrapped around his secretary and resting far too close to her arse to be proper. "The manners of some people," she said with a sniff, drawing Bellatrix's attention to it.

The other witch sat up a little bit straighter, taking note of the couple strolling down the street. "Would you believe that he actually holds quite a position at the Ministry?" she asked, full of gossip. "And that little  _tart_  is his mudblood mistress?"

Hermione gasped, putting on quite the front, acting as though it was the worst thing that she'd ever heard in his life. "I can't believe that he'd even  _think_  about appearing with her in public, let alone draped over her as he is," she said disapprovingly. "But I suppose that  _mudbloods_  do have a certain sort of wantonness, don't they?" she asked. The slur felt foregin on her lips, but she knew that she could show no hesitancy, not under Bellatrix's keen eye.

"Mudbloods will be the downfall of our society," Bellatrix agreed, her eyes still watching the couple with interest, clearly making note of just where they were going.

"You would think that he would have more care of what his  _wife_  would think," Hermione said primly. "At the very least, I would expect his employer - the Ministry - would expect better out of their employees, especially during work hours."

"Agreed. But it's even worse than that," Bellatrix said with a frown, her focus returning to Hermione once the couple disappeared from their eyesight. "She works at the Ministry as well, as her personal secretary. Perhaps someone should do something about it?"

"I should hope so. A strong complaint should make it known just how such shameful conduct reflects on them," Hermione agreed. She could feel her heart hammer away against her chest with elation as she figured she might have killed two birds with one stone - making a good impression on Bellatrix Lestrange and creating a job opening at the Ministry that she could fulfill.

Bellatrix set down her teacup with a clank, now wearing a full smile that only made her seem more beautiful - and dangerous. "You know, I was worried that with how much my Aunt Walburga likes you, you would be a vapid, boring witch," she explained, not at all embarrassed at what she was revealing. "But I think that I quite like you, Hermione Nott. You will be seeing me again," she promised, before standing from the table.

Hermione was left alone with her thoughts, wondering just what had happened in that total whirlwind of an interaction. She couldn't deny the rush of satisfaction that came with her belief that she had done well, chasing away some of the blues she'd been feeling whilst twiddling her thumbs, waiting to do  _something_  at her townhouse. Rising from the table as well, she grabbed her book under her arm and fished an extra knut out of her purse to pay for her rude treatment of the girl behind the corner, before returning home to Theo.

When she found him in the parlor, he was standing in front of the stretched canvas just has she had left him, staring with his head slightly turned, paintbrush held loosely in his hand. Coming up behind him, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and looked at what he was working on. It seemed that it was a portrait, the shading of a nose obvious, while some lines and clever shading were beneath it, beginning to form lips. The gentle curve of cupid's bow was perfectly done, but from the way that he lingered on it, Theo appeared less than happy.

"How did your reconnaissance go today?" he asked her, only slightly teasing in his tone, knowing that she  _was_  doing the right thing.

"Hard to know...but definite progress," she reported to him, feeling a silly grin cross her face again. "I think that the office that manages magical property might have an opening soon."

"That is promising," Theo mused, dropping his paintbrush into a glass so that he could give her his full attention.

"I also ran into Bellatrix Lestrange while I was out," she told her husband, watching his face for any hint of his true emotion. "She shared tea with me. I think that she might want to be my friend - she mentioned that I was not nearly as boring as she had come to expect."

"Please don't tell me that you are flattered by a compliment from Bellatrix Lestrange," Theo pressed, sounding a bit disappointed with her. Did he not realize that she had a strong desire for approval?

"No, no, of course not," Hermione said, brushing off his concerns as well as she could. "But...I don't really think that it would be a bad thing for me to be her friend would it? It could be our key to getting the Cup." And that was the tantalizing truth of the matter, wasn't it? If only Hermione could keep her head and remember that they weren't  _really_  friends, not at the end of the day.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! This story is definitely not abandoned, though updates are no longer frequent or regular. I've had loads of stuff going on IRL, and I'm unclear of when I will be able to return to regular updates. But just know, I am still working on it when I can. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of chapter eleven and be on the lookout for chapter twelve!

1974

Apparating back into her own home, Hermione let out a sigh of relief when she knew that she was finally safe for the day and could dispense with the facade. It didn't take long after arriving that she could feel her skin begin to bubble and change, returning her to her normal form once the polyjuice potion had worn off.

Immediately, she set out for her bedroom, already starting to unbutton the slightly too big witch's robes. The muggle that she'd snatched the clump of hair from was certainly very attractive, but there was no denying she had a more voluptuous body than Hermione could claim as her own. Luckily Director MacMillian of the Magical Property Rights Department  _loved_  the honey blonde hair and charming brown eyes of the muggle, and had readily offered Hermione a position as his personal secretary after his old one had mysteriously vanished...

At one point it might have been Hermione's dream to work at the Ministry of Magic, but having worked a regular schedule there for a month, she could only find MacMillian's longing gaze and unsubtle touches frustrating.

Theo was lounging back against the mound of pillows in their bed, reading a book when she entered, half-naked with fingers working to free her brown curls from the tight french twist she wore to work. He didn't bother to hide the slow, appreciative gaze that he gave her body, both of them having seen the other naked enough times for the embarrassment to had faded completely.

"Like what you see?" Hermione teased anyway, letting the dress robes slip from her shoulders.

He cleared his throat, his eyes returning to her face one again. "Believe what you will, but I much prefer you as you are. Seeing you in the polyjuice is unsettling," he countered.

Hermione scoffed. "Well, all the men at the Ministry seem to be quite enamored with Dahlia Wimple. I doubt that Hermione Nott would have the same effect," she said. It had taken a while to get used to the way her colleagues seemed to fall over themselves to help her with things, something that Hermione Granger had never experienced before in her life.

Theo set his book onto his bedside table. "I wouldn't be so quick to assume that," he told her, not elaborating, despite the slight pink that had appeared on his cheeks. "In any case, I can't wait for you to be done with Dahlia. How was your progress this week?"

She sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed so that she could look at him. "Fine. Progress is slow, but it is happening. MacMillian seems to enjoy the personal training a bit too much. He hasn't let me loose on the files yet, but I am sure he will eventually," she explained. Getting a job at the Ministry had only been the first step...now she actually needed time to  _find_  the property records for the Gaunt family. Unfortunately for her, MacMillian loved to spend his time with her on lunch meetings alone, much like he'd done with his previous secretary. But, Hermione was  _not_  going to sleep with him to get what she wanted.

Looking around, Hermione realized that Tilly wasn't tinkering away at their dinner and turned to look at Theo confused. "No dinner - please tell me we aren't going to the Blacks tonight. I don't think I can handle Walburga after the day that I had," she begged, rolling onto her stomach, propping herself up onto her elbows to get a better look at Theo.

His gaze was temporarily drawn to the curve of her arse, before he shook his head. "So you  _did_  forget," he said with a smirk, obviously pleased with himself. "I've given Tilly the night off because I am going to take you out to dinner. It's out first anniversary, wife."

She  _had_  forgotten. It was hard for Hermione to believe that she had Theo had been together in the past for a year now. She was even more surprised by how well they worked together and how much progress they had made. "You're taking me on date?" she stuttered, thinking that it was really one of the most romantic things that Theo had done, unable to remember the last time that they had gone out without some  _purpose_.

"Yes, at eight o'clock," he answered, before picking his book back up. "So you'd better go get ready. It's a nice restaurant, but not so ridiculous. But still, you'll want to dress up."

Pushing up from where she was, Hermione hurried to their ensuite bathroom to get ready for the evening, enjoying this more spontaneous and unexpected side of her husband. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd been on a date, and it wasn't as though she and Theo had a relationship that included a courtship period.

Finding herself feeling truly excited, she slipped out of the shower and into a silk robe to get ready. Standing in front of the mirror, she slowly applied just a few glamour charms to enhance her natural beauty, something that seemed so normal now, even though it was not something she would have imagined doing previously. A splash of Sleak-Ezay's into her palms was run through her damp hair helped to keep her curls manageable enough that she could dry her hair with magic. Styling her hair quickly, Hermione stared at the woman in her reflection.

The woman who looked back at her was familiar but unnerving. Almost like some Stepford Wife version of herself. Then again, she supposed that is exactly what she had become, a perfect, pureblood wife, who didn't have the same concerns as Hermione Granger, muggleborn witch.

Heading to her closet, she sighed as she let her fingers run along the fine fabrics of all the fashionable witches robes that hung in a neat row. Finding a slinky, sexy red set, she slipped into it, knowing that it was sure to turn heads. She never would have dared to wear something like this before, but now, as Theo's wife, it was expected of her. Worse, she even found herself  _enjoying_  keeping up with the latest fashions, having other women look at her with jealousy in their eyes, and being talked about with other trendsetters like Narcissa Black and Amalia Greengrass.

She wondered what Harry and Ron would think of her if they could see her now. Merlin, she was sure that Ron would go red in the neck knowing how much she cherished this little material items, knowing that he would never have been able to provide for her in the same way that Theo did. He'd cherish the material as well, which would only make him lash out against her harder. It felt like a betrayal to admit that she was glad she hadn't gone back with him. They would have driven each other spare in the first week. It hurt that she couldn't say with any certainty that Ron wouldn't have left her high and dry.

After all, he'd done it before.

Hermione was pulled out of her pique when Theo entered the bathroom, now wearing a pair of stylish light grey robes that did wonders for his eyes. "You look great," she complimented, enjoying the way that her little comments could still leave him off-balance. She pressed her hand to his chest to smooth out a non-existent wrinkle, just wanting to touch him for a quick moment.

Theo recovered quickly, bringing his own fingers up to play with the edge of her silk bathrobe, dangerously close to her breasts. He might not always be as bold as she was, but that didn't mean she was unaffected by him. Staring down at those long fingers slipping inside the fabric was nearly enough to have her begging him to call off the reservations and just have an evening in.

"I don't even know why I try to dress remotely well, not when everyone will have their eyes on you," he quipped, bringing up his hands to cup her jaw lovingly. Then he released her. "I better not kiss you, or I fear we will end up being late."

A year ago, she might have been embarrassed by the little noise of need that was torn from her throat, but she wasn't bothered by it now. "Well, all I need to do is slip into my dress and then we can go," she assured him, turning to leave him to his own devices to finish getting ready.

When they were both standing ready, Theo side-alonged them to the apparition point, before making the short walk to the restaurant that he had selected. Hermione was unsurprised to see that it was a rather fashionable location in Diagon Alley, difficult to get a reservation at so soon after its opening earlier in the year. It was exactly the sort of place that Hermione and Theo Nott would be expected to go for a date, nearly as important to be seen by other people  _like_   _them_  than it was to enjoy themselves. Still, Hermione knew there was no reason why she wouldn't thoroughly enjoy the simple but delicious French cooking.

Their table was nestled by the window, giving them a great view of the Alley and the complete dining room. It was only once she was seated across the table from Theo that she realized this might be the first time they'd gone on an actual date with one another, the anniversary date being significant to them and them alone, not to impress some other pureblood couple. Merlin, it was perhaps the first date she'd been on in over three years, if she was honest with herself, and she told her husband as such.

"Really? I would have expected...with Hogsmeade weekends, but, never mind..." he stumbled over his words, remembering that they were in public and it wasn't the best place to be talking about their lives  _before_. "I've been remiss as a husband."

"We've both been busy," Hermione insisted, though that wasn't entirely true. Going on dates just didn't seem like something that was all that important to her, though she could admit she liked it every now and again. "And I don't mind quiet evenings at home with just you."

"Well, hopefully this can make up for it," he suggested, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a slim, velvet box, indicating jewelry.

Hermione happily took it. Just because she valued her mind did not meant that she could not be swayed by pretty trinkets. Snapping the box open, she was surprised to see a lovely set of diamond and pearl earrings looking back up at her, set in white gold. The diamonds were almost obscenely large, and she couldn't stop her awed gasp, catching the attention of some other diners as well. "Thank you, Theo. I love them," she gushed, reaching out for his hand and pressing a kiss to the palm, uncaring what anyone thought about her little display of affection.

Before she could say much more, a waiter came by and took their orders and Theo ordered a bottle of red wine to celebrate. When they were left alone a second time, Theo took hold of her hand once again, rubbing the back of her knuckles affectionately, pleased that he had done well with the gift. "To be honest, I have a rather expensive second edition Arithmancy book waiting at home, too, if the jewelry didn't go over well," he revealed with a flush.

Hermione grinned widely. "You know me too well, Theo," she answered, thinking that he really had outdone himself. He had certainly learned a lot about her in just the year that they had been on this crazy mission with one another. "And, it fulfills the traditional first anniversary gift of paper."

"What do you mean?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed, looking utterly perplexed.

"Oh, it must be a muggle thing, then," she said, slightly embarrassed that she hadn't figured that out by this time. She'd done enough research on pureblood traditions, surely she would have come across it by now if it existed in this world. "I'll tell you more about it at home," she added, seeing their waiter returning with food.

The food looked amazing and Hermione was nearly so caught up in the delicious smells that she was barely able to shoot her hand out to cover her wine glass before the waiter poured for her. "I'd prefer to do that on my own," she said to him, with the barest hint of a smile, amused when she watched him shrug his shoulders as if she was the oddest witch he'd ever come across. Then again, she supposed that it was pretty odd behavior.

Theo's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, but he waited for the waiter to leave them alone before confronting her. "I'm sorry, did I not get something you liked? Perhaps champagne would have been better given the occasion," he offered, flubbing over his words. It was endearing to see how much he truly cared about her wants and comforts.

"No, it's fine. I'm just not drinking at the moment," Hermione reassured him, her smile widening. She did feel a little bit terrible that she had completely forgotten about their  _first_  anniversary and that she didn't have a proper present to give him, but she supposed that now was as good a time as ever to share with him the good news. Seeing his still confused face, Hermione knew she had to put him out of his misery before he went spare. "I'm pregnant, Theo."

She watched as his adam's apple bobbed up and down in his throat, a look of utter surprise on his face. "Real-really?" he asked, his eyes dropping to his plate. "How sure are you about it? I mean, how far along has it been? Do we need to do anything to verify it?" he asked stumbling over his words.

"I'm pretty sure. I did the potion myself, but it is still early days. Only six weeks or so," Hermione told him, her hand finding the flat of her stomach almost instinctively, even if there was currently no sign of the life that she carried. "I imagine there is some kind of midwife that we would go to now for prenatal care, but I was sort of hoping you'd have more insight on that," she added.

Theo was silent, still unable to meet her eyes. Suddenly, her stomach lurched, wondering if he was upset with her for some reason. A hint of anger began to bubble up inside of her, knowing that it was  _his_  idea that they try for an heir in the first place, and if he was going to be freaked out by her having a baby, then he should have thought about the consequences of unprotected sex. "Are you upset, Theo?" she asked, her voice even and thin.

"I just...I just never expected it to happen quite so quickly," he told her, his eyes finally meeting hers, slightly shiny in the low light of the restaurant.

"Well, I don't know why that would be," Hermione said with a frown. "It's not like we haven't had a...a very active sex life," she added, dropping her voice in case anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I know," Theo said, nodding. "It's just that...most couples in my circle have struggled with fertility. Haven't you ever wondered why there are quite so many only children in Slytherin? It took my parents years to get me," he explained, his voice a bit gruff with emotion. "Draco's mother was always upset that she was never able to have another child, despite their numerous tries."

Hermione blushed, realizing that she had never thought about fertility in the pureblood community. After all, the Weasleys had  _such_  a large family, and she'd always assumed that Neville was an only child just because of his parents situation. "I didn't know," she said quietly, thinking that it was likely caused by their very narrow gene pool. "But you aren't upset, are you?" she questioned, still needing to know that he wanted this baby as much as she had come to want it.

"No, not upset. A little overwhelmed and...wow, I never would have imagined that the two of us...can you imagine if anyone from back home knew?" he asked, smiling at her.

"I suppose no one would have seen it coming, but...I'm glad it's with you," Hermione told him, knowing that it  _was_  true. Theodore Nott was not someone she'd ever imagined ending up with, but now that they'd ended up in this situation together, she really couldn't think of anyone she'd rather it be with.

Before she could say anything else, Theo was standing from his spot, leaning the short distance across the table. He grabbed her face with both of her hands, pulling her towards him in a fierce kiss, being more demonstratively affectionate that he'd ever been with her, completely uncaring of what the restaurant's other diners might think of them. Hermione responded to the kiss with relish, only to embarrass herself with a little moan of pleasure, before pulling away.

Cheeks red, her eyes darted around seeing other patrons staring at them, before returning to her plate. "Theo!" she scolded half-heartedly, whilst also wondering if they could just apparate back home to see where his needy kisses could lead. "What will everyone else think?"

He returned to his seat, looking an adorable mixture of smug and sheepish. "Sorry, I just couldn't help myself," he explained. "I can't believe you told me that kind of news in public and then expected me to act like a normal person. I don't know how I'm meant to keep my hands to myself for the rest of the evening."

"Well...I'm sure this food isn't  _that_  great," Hermione said, pushing her fork through some mashed potatoes that suddenly seemed very uninspired. "I'm sure Tilly could come up with something quick if we really got hungry," she added, giving her husband a mischievous grin, enjoying his sudden openness with her.

She didn't have to ask twice. Theo was throwing galleons on the table to pay for their uneaten meal and offering her a hand before she could even stand up, too eager to get home and celebrate with her properly.


End file.
